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Olympian shares heartbreaking note her father handed her just before he died and we're all crying

As a teen, Lola Anderson thought it was too unrealistic to even dream of the Olympics but her father's belief in her pushed her go the distance.
UPDATED AUG 2, 2024
Cover Image Source: YouTube | BBC
Cover Image Source: YouTube | BBC

Behind every dream achieved, there is often a series of hardships, heartbreak and other challenges. However, with the right people by one's side, they can sail through these barriers and turn a dream into a reality. For Olympic gold medal-winning British rower Lola Anderson, her father Don was this person throughout her childhood, per the Guardian. The athlete, who recently won a gold medal at the Olympics, recalled the overwhelming support she received from her dad over decades. Anderson delivered a winning performance together with teammates Hannah Scott, Georgie Brayshaw and Lauren Henry. As she stood on the podium, Anderson had a flashback of an encounter with her father as a teen.

Image Source: Lola Anderson during the Team GB Paris 2024 Kitting Out at NEC Arena on June 11, 2024 in Birmingham, England.(Photo by Barrington Coombs/Getty Images)
Image Source: Lola Anderson during the Team GB Paris 2024 Kitting Out at NEC Arena on June 11, 2024 in Birmingham, England. (Photo by Barrington Coombs/Getty Images)

Earning the gold medal was a dream come true moment for Anderson. She recalled how all of it began with a teenage dream and a whole lot of confidence from her father. As a teen, Anderson had written on a piece of paper that it was her dream to row for Great Britain and bring home a gold medal. However, she threw the note away as she never thought it would ever become a reality. Recalling the event, she mentioned in an interview with BBC, “I kinda thought, ‘That was a co*ky, arrogant thing to have written.’ On a good day, I wasn’t capsizing - I ripped the page out and threw it in the bin.” Until her dad spotted it and held onto it for the next few years till 2019. 

“He’d been cleaning out my little waste paper basket, saw this diary in the bin and decided he was going to give it back to me one day,” she added. He did indeed give it back to her in 2019, 2 months before he lost his battle to cancer and Anderson has held it dear ever since. “I threw that away because I didn’t believe it,” she remembered. However, her dad had all the faith she needed and he handed it back to her. As a rower himself, Don knew well the challenges aligned with the sport and still, he handed back the note to his daughter with full trust that she would excel.

 Image Source: Lauren Henry, Hannah Scott, Lola Anderson and Georgina Brayshaw of Team Great Britain celebrate winning the gold medals at Vaires-Sur-Marne Nautical Stadium on July 31, 2024 in Paris, France. (Photo by Francois Nel/Getty Images)
Image Source: Lauren Henry, Hannah Scott, Lola Anderson and Georgina Brayshaw of Team Great Britain celebrate winning the gold medals at Vaires-Sur-Marne Nautical Stadium on July 31, 2024, in Paris, France. (Photo by Francois Nel/Getty Images)

In the victorious moment, the athlete turned emotional and broke down in tears. Sharing her immense joy and remembering her father, she remarked, “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. My dad saw it before I did. My potential would not have been unlocked without the girls I crossed the line with. He would be very proud today.” 

Image Source: Lauren Henry, Hannah Scott, Lola Anderson and Georgina Brayshaw of Team Great Britain celebrate at the Rowing Women's Quadruple Sculls medal ceremony on day five of the Olympic Games Paris 2024 at Vaires-Sur-Marne Nautical Stadium on July 31, 2024 in Paris, France. (Photo by Kevin Voigt/GettyImages)
Image Source: Lauren Henry, Hannah Scott, Lola Anderson and Georgina Brayshaw of Team Great Britain celebrate winning the gold medals at Vaires-Sur-Marne Nautical Stadium on July 31, 2024, in Paris, France. (Photo by Francois Nel/Getty Images)

She added that the piece of paper she once threw turned out to become a treasured possession. “It’s a piece of paper but it’s the most valuable thing I have, maybe jointly with this medal now. It’s safe in a tin with all my dad’s old medals in my bedroom,” she exclaimed.

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