Athletes can understandably be overcome with emotion after winning a gold medal — but th⛦ere’s extra significance for Lola Anderson.
The 26-year-old British rower and her team finished first in Wednesday’s women💖’s quadruple sculls final, fulfilling a dream she held♏ as a teenager.
After watching the London Games in her home country in 2012, a 14-year-old ꧃Anderson was inspired to follow suit.
“My name is Lola Anderson and I think it would 🅠be my biggest dream in life to go to the Olympics and represent Team GB in rowing and, if possible, win a gold medal,” she wrote, according to Olympics.com.
Anderson, though, ওdidn’t maintain thaᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚ𒀱ᩚᩚᩚt faith very well.
“I threw that away because I didn’t believe,” Anderson said. “I was 14 at the time, so why would I believe? Young girls struggle a bit to see themselves as strong, athletic individuals, but that’s changing now.”
Th✱at all shifted, however, when Anderson’s dad, Don, located the note🎃 before he died of cancer in 2019.
“I’d forgotten about it,” Anderson admitted as sh🌠e wiped away tears from Paris. “A couple years ago, my dad reminded me. I know♛ that he would be so, so proud. I’m thinking a lot about him right now. It’s really lovely.
“It’s a piece of paper, but it’s the most valuable thing I have,” Anderson continued. “Maybe jointly with this medal now. It’s safe in a tin with all my dad’s old medals in my bedroom.”
Anderson paired with Lauren Henry, Hannah Scott and Georgina Brayshaw to post a pool-best 6:16.31 time, ahead of t🧔he Netherlands and Germany.
The victory marked Great Britain’s fi🐭rst medal in women’s quadruple sculls since 2008, and first-ever gold in any women’s rowing event🌼 in national history.
In terms of its broader hardware, Great Britain sits fourth with 17 total medals, including six 𝄹golds.