VAIRES-SUR-MARNE, France -- As a teenager growing up in Great Britain, Lola Anderson watched the rowing events at the 2012 London Olympics and was inspired to take up the sport. She wrote about it in her diary. Her dad, Don, was a rower in college, but she wanted to win an Olympic medal just like her heroes she watched at the Games.
But Anderson was embarrassed and tore out the page.
"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."
Anderson still took up the sport with the help of her father. She was quite good too, eventually making her way to the national stage.
In 2019, though, her father had cancer. One day, he had something he wanted to give Lola. He unfurled his hand and revealed the page Lola had torn out of her diary. Don discovered it in a bin at the time and thought she would need it.
Don died months later.
The note turned out to be rather prophetic. Anderson competed at her first Olympic Games with the women's quadruple sculls rowing team Wednesday.
As the 2000-meter race started, her boat wasn't quite as fast as the rowers hoped. The Dutch team took an early lead and held it for most of the way. With just meters remaining, Anderson and her British teammates caught a second wind and pipped the Dutch at the line. They secured gold by 0.15 seconds.
Anderson's mind returned to Don afterward when she spoke to reporters.
"My dad saw it before I did," Anderson said. "My potential would not have been unlocked without the girls I crossed the line with. He would be very proud today.
"It's a piece of paper, but it's the most valuable thing I have," Anderson said, "maybe jointly with this medal now. It's safe in a tin with all my dad's old medals in my bedroom."