Olympic Gold Medalist draws school teacher for Secret Santa

WARRENTON, Va. - Rio 2016 Olympic gold medal swimmer Ryan Held took part in Imgur’s “Secret Santa” gift exchange online.

“I came home after a long day at work and checked the mailbox and found a package inside. I knew it was from a “Secret Santa,” but my husband and I both signed up, so I had to check to see which one of us it was for,” said Brittany Del Rocco, who resides in Warrenton, Virginia.

Out of 25,000 people who participated in the “Secret Santa” gift exchange through Imgur, Del Rocco received a signed swim cap and two letters from the 2016 Olympic gold medalist.

“I pulled this swimming cap out of the package and I had a legitimate freak out. I turned the envelope back over and this time paid attention to the name @Heldilox Ryan Held, Olympic gold medal swimmer. Cue the second total freak out!”

Del Rocco said that the Olympian knew she was a school teacher from her profile, so he wrote a separate letter to her and a letter to her students. “It was one of the greatest letters I have ever received. I started tearing up and shaking.”

The letter was “inspirational and moving” according to Del Rocco. “Not only has my day been made, but my week, Christmas, year even!” Del Rocco wrote back to the Olympian in a post on the social media site.

Del Rocco tells FOX 5 that she plans to frame the two letters and display them in her classroom. As far as the swim cap is concerned, Del Rocco said that she plans on framing that as well, but is unsure where exactly it will be displayed.