Update: Emmanuel Matadi failed to advance Saturday in the 100-meter dash. He will run in 200 meter dash Tuesday.

A homeless St. Paul woman yearning to get to Rio de Janeiro to see her son compete in the Olympics now has a ticket, thanks to donations made through a fundraising website.

Florence Matadi had promised her 25-year-old son, Johnson High School graduate Emmanuel Matadi, that she would see him run the 100-meter and 200-meter dashes in person, but she has been unable to raise travel expenses on her own. The family lost their East Side home in an electrical fire in August 2013, leaving Florence living in and out of her car ever since.

Since news of her homelessness was first reported Thursday, dozens of Pioneer Press readers have inquired about how to help the woman some are referring to on social media as #OlympicFlo.

The crowd-sourcing page GoFundMe.com/OlympicFlo was set up Friday by her pastor, Dana Nelson of Galilee Lutheran Church in Roseville. The effort raised more than $3,000 in eight hours, and a flight was arranged Friday evening.

Matadi, 58, will depart the Twin Cities on Saturday afternoon and arrive in Rio on Sunday morning. Her son failed to qualify in the 100-meter dash on Saturday, but she will be able to see him run in the 200-meter elimination trials on Tuesday.

Her son is running for Liberia, where he was born.

The online fundraiser is still active. Any leftover money will help Matadi rebuild her fire-damaged home, according to the website.