The heartbreaking story behind Lola Anderson’s Olympic gold medal tears

Athletes can understandably be overcome with emotion after winning a gold medal — but there’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.

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“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, didn’t maintain that faith very well.

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“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.”

That all shifted, however, when Anderson’s dad, Don, located the note before he died of cancer in 2019.

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“I’d forgotten about it,” Anderson admitted as she 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 the Netherlands and Germany.

The victory marked Great Britain’s first 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.

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