Olympian gold medallist Lola Anderson's dad gave her a childhood note before passing away from cancer: 'Dream to win gold medal'
Amid the inspiring Olympic victory stories, this one is especially heartwarming.
Months before he passed away from cancer, Don Anderson gave his daughter, Lola, a cherished note¡ªan old diary entry she had written as a child 13 years earlier.?
In it, Lola had shared her dream of winning Olympic rowing gold. She had forgotten about it but her father kept that note close.
Today, Lola Anderson achieved that dream, securing the gold medal with her team, fulfilling a promise that now feels even more poignant.
Watch her post-win video here:
At 26 years old, British rower Lola Anderson made history as she and her team rowed to victory on Wednesday's women's quadruple sculls final, finishing first with a time of 6:16.31.?
Her team's triumph, which included Lauren Henry, Hannah Scott, and Georgina Brayshaw, secured Great Britain's first gold medal in women's rowing and its first medal in the women's quadruple sculls since 2008.
As a 14-year-old, Lola watched the London Olympics and was deeply inspired.?
She wrote in a note about her dream of representing Team GB and winning an Olympic gold medal. "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 had penned, as per Olympics.com.
Though she later discarded the note, her father kept it.?
Reflecting on her past, Lola admitted, "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."
Her father's reminder of the note years later brought tears to her eyes as she stood in Paris.
After her monumental win, Lola shared, "I know he would be so, so proud."
She cherished the note, saying, "It's a piece of paper, but it's the most valuable thing I have¡ªmaybe alongside this medal now. It's safe in a tin with all my dad's old medals in my bedroom."
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