Italian high jumper Gianmarco Tamberi has had a challenging Olympic journey this time around, from losing his wedding ring in the River Seine to vomiting blood prior to the final event.
The 32-year-old Olympian finished in 11th place on Saturday, August 10, during the high jump final, shortly after revealing on Instagram that he had been hospitalized for kidney colic. This health issue affected his performance, resulting in a score of 2.22 meters. He shared, “The pain I’ve been feeling this morning, no matter how strong, is nothing compared to what I’m feeling inside. Even what was my last certainty is about to fade away.”
He continued, noting, “Everything I’ve dreamed of for this day, except living such a nightmare.”
Reflecting on his health issues and loss, he wrote in a separate post, “I managed to beat fate once after that injury in 2016, but this time, unfortunately, I really think it won. I’m speechless, truly, so sorry.”
The 2024 games marked Gianmarco’s second Olympics, as he previously missed out on the 2016 Rio de Janeiro tournament. He made his debut at the 2012 London Olympics and returned for a second time in the 2020 Tokyo games, where he earned the gold in the high jump competition.
His battle with kidney colic came shortly after he lost his wedding ring during the opening ceremony. This incident led the high jumper to write his wife, Chiara Bontempi Tamberi, a love note that gained worldwide virality. In a post, he expressed, “It will stay forever in the riverbed of the city of love, flown away while I tried to carry the Italian tricolor as high as possible during the opening ceremony of the most important sport event in the world.”
He added, “I think there might be a huge poetic side to yesterday’s misdeed… and we’ll have one more excuse to, as you’ve always asked, renew our vows and get married anew. I love you, my love. May it be auspicious to come home with even bigger gold!”
Though Gianmarco experienced these two setbacks, he still went on to thank everyone for their support, despite his defeat.