'Gimbo' Tambreri's Paris Olympics ended with bitter emotion. Our hero hugged some of his fans and cried as many tears as he could after his elimination at 2.27 in the Olympic high jump final, which still went ahead despite a new bout of renal colic. Tamberi reached the corner to hug his team and was hugged by a large group of Italians for several minutes, after the third mistake forced him to say goodbye to the crowd.
The swing of emotions of a bitter day
Italy's flag bearer wanted to be there at all costs despite the new renal colic that struck him during the nightafter the one a week ago that forced him to postpone his departure for France by one day, until last Monday. After the despair of the morning and the persistent pain, the Italian athlete underwent tests in a Paris hospital early this afternoon.
The answer came in a joint Fidal-Coni note, in which the federal medical staff verified that there were no absolute obstacles to participation. “I will be there,” wrote Gimbo, accompanying the publication on social networks with a photo as he went to the competition field.
Having entered the track for the warm-up at 6:15 p.m., he greeted the public, with the hood of the sweatshirt covering the headhis face drawn and focused. When it was time for the presentation to be called, however, all his energy was visible, jumping, shouting and asking for support from the audience, who responded with great applause.
Paris 2024 – Gianmarco Tamberi in action at 2:27 a.m. (Rai)
Departure avoiding altitude 2.17, it is better to conserve your strength. First attempt at 2.22: error. Second attempt: another mistake, while almost all the others “easily” managed the measurement. Third attempt, with the possibility that his Olympic Games, probably his last, would end like this. This time, Gimbo flew over the bar and the fear, still pushed by the fans in the stadium, but perhaps also by the force of despair. He then went to 2.27. The first jump was wrong. And the second. And the third. That's how it ended. Apologies and exchange of greetings with the public. Then tears and long hugs from all his staff who wanted to cover him with affection.
The strength and courage of the man and the athlete Tamberi remain. Gimbo, on the other hand, lacked running speed, thrust, elevation. In short, the reigning Olympic champion in the high jump was not there.
The thrilling Olympics of “Gimbo”
The Olympic champion, who had already been forced to postpone his departure for Paris by one day due to a suspected kidney stone, was expected to compete in the high jump final at the Stade de France.
Tamberi, after an initial report this morning via social media, reiterated early this afternoon that he had been “taken to the emergency room by ambulance after vomiting blood twice.”
“Now they will do more tests to understand what is happening. I dreamed everything that day except living a nightmare like this…”, he wrote on his social profile.
“The pain I have been feeling since this morning, as strong as it is, is nothing compared to what I feel inside,” added the Italian in the social message in which he showed himself in the ambulance with the IV, while his wife Chiara Bontempi shook his hand.
The unscheduled opening day with faith lost in the Seine
An unexpected and unpleasant event happened to Gianmarco Tamberi during the inauguration ceremony of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.
The Olympic flag bearer, during the boat trip on the Seine with the Italian athletes on board, realized at one point that he had lost his wedding ring and, after searching for it without success, he could not help but offer a romantic apology via social media to his wife Chiara Bontempi.
“I'm sorry my love, I'm terribly sorry. Too much water, too many pounds lost in the last few months or maybe the uncontrollable enthusiasm of what we were doing. Probably all three things, but I heard him go away, I saw him fly… I followed him with my eyes until I saw him bounce inside the boat,” the Italian champion wrote on Instagram 2 weeks ago.
