Gianmarco Tamberi says sorry to his wife for losing wedding ring in the Seine

Italian highjumper Gianmarco Tamberi issued a heartfelt apology to his wife after losing his wedding ring during the Olympic opening ceremony on Friday.

The 32-year-old was named as flagbearer for Italy alongside Arianna Errigo at the Paris 2024 opening ceremony, where 85 boats sailed along the River Seine carrying team delegations.

However, in an Instagram post addressed to his wife Chiara Bontempi Tamberi, the highjumper revealed that during his ceremony duties his wedding ring flew into the Seine.

“I’m sorry my love, I’m terribly sorry,” Tamberini posted.

A post shared by HALFSHAVE (@gianmarcotamberi)

“Too much water, too many kilos lost in the last few months or perhaps the uncontainable enthusiasm of what we were doing. Probably all three, the fact remains that I heard it slip away, I saw it fly… I followed it with my eyes until I saw it bounce inside the boat.

“A tinkle of hope… But unfortunately the bounce was in the wrong direction and floating more than a thousand times in the air I saw it dive into the water as if that was the only place it wanted to be. A few moments that lasted forever.”

Tamberi hit the headlines at Tokyo 2021 after he and Qatar’s Mutaz Essa Barshim elected to share gold rather than face a jump-off.

He is set to begin his medal defence at the Stade de France on August 7.

Despite his Paris 2024 experience getting off to a bumpy start, the Italian looked on the flip side in his post, suggesting the ring’s loss could present the ideal opportunity for the couple to renew their vows.

“But if it really had to happen, if I really had to lose this faith, I couldn’t imagine a better place,” Tamberi continued.

“It will remain forever in the riverbed of the city of love, flown away while I was trying