Sharon van Rouwendaal, who won a gold medal at the Paris 2024 Olympics after winning the women’s marathon swimming paid an emotional tribute to her late dog Rio in an emotional speech.
After a tough swim in the River Seine, after concerns have been made about the 'cleanliness' the Dutch star beat 23 other athletes in the 6.2 mile (10km) race.
Sharon, who had named her dog Rio after her win in Rio de Janeiro eight years prior, tragically announced he had passed away in May, just months before the Paris games began. "‘He needed an operation on his lungs so I gave it to him in hope that we could live after the Olympics together in my house and with my garden.
And he had complications after the surgery and he died," she explained to press after the race. "Then my world stopped and I didn’t care about swimming for like three weeks.
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