Love in Olympic Times
Paris is known as the City of Love, and the nickname has never been more accurate than during the 2024 Olympic Games. These past two weeks, we’ve seen memorable performances from the competitors - from first-time wins for their nations to broken world records. Throughout all the athletic excitement, love has still found a way to shine. To help honor the city’s nickname and keep our Emily Henry-obsessed minds happy, we have put together our favorite Olympic moments that feel straight out of a rom-com.
A Seine of Love
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The Seine River has served as inspiration for countless artists, poets, and writers who want to infuse their works with the theme of love. So when Italian flag bearer Gianmarco Tamberi’s wedding ring bounced off the boat and fell into the river during the Opening Ceremony, the romantic significance of the incident was not lost on him. “I think there might be a huge poetic side to yesterday’s misdeed, and if you want, we’ll throw yours into that river, too, so they’ll be together forever, and we’ll have one more excuse to, like you’ve always asked, renew our vows and get married to new. I love you my love,” he wrote on his Instagram as an apology to his wife, explaining the incident. While he has to replace his ring, Tamberi will try to still leave Paris with the gold as he’s competing in the men’s high jump final next Saturday.
Love is in Paris
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While one ring was getting lost, others were being given. Argentinian athlete Pablo Simonet, from the handball team, got on one knee at the Olympic Village and asked his long-time girlfriend and fellow athlete, hockey player Maria Campoy, to marry him. The Argentinian team was taking a group picture when Pablo stepped forward and surprised Maria, eliciting excitement from the rest of their teammates who were eager to celebrate their love. The pair have been together since 2015 and also participated together in Rio 2016, but undoubtedly this moment will now be their favorite Olympic memory. As Pablo mentioned in his Instagram post sharing the good news, “Paris is always a good idea”.
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Team Argentina wasn’t the only one who saw a proposal amongst their members as Team China also had two of their athletes say yes during the Games. Ya Qiong Huang won the gold for badminton in the mixed doubles category, and shortly after her boyfriend and fellow badminton player Zheng Siwei got on one knee and popped the question. After the medal ceremony and proposal, Ya Qiong said, “For me, the proposal is very surprising because I have been preparing for the game,” she said. “Today I am an Olympic champion and I got proposed [to], so that’s something I didn’t expect.”
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The most original proposal though, was done by Alice Finot. The French track and field star placed fourth place in the 3000-meter steeplechase finals - though she missed the podium position by three seconds, she still managed to break the European steeplechase record. To celebrate, she ran towards her boyfriend in the stands and got on one knee, proposing to him with a pin she wore during the race that read “Love is in Paris”. Talking about her grand gesture, Alice explained: "I told myself that if I ran under nine minutes, knowing that nine is my lucky number and that we’ve been together for nine years, then I would propose". Admitting she’s not one to do things like everyone else, she definitely won gold for most original Olympic proposal.
Break Up and Make Up
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Katerina Siniakova and Tomas Machac, Czech tennis players, shocked the world when they broke up this summer but remained committed to playing mixed doubles together at the Olympics. In a true “Happy Place” moment, the pair proved their connection still made them a great team on the court and went on to win gold. They celebrated with a kiss. Their current relationship status remains unknown and prompted further confusion when this was their answer when asked about it: "This is our personal life. So, you don’t need to know about that. We like it when you are confused." Partners in life or just in the game, they gave us one of the most swoon-worthy moments that made us believe that maybe not all is lost.
The Alchemy is Real
Armand Duplantis is on top of the world, or at least pretty high up there. The pole vaulter broke his own world record by jumping an impressive 6.25 meters. The first thing he did to celebrate was run up to kiss his girlfriend Desiré who was cheering him on in the stands. "Desiré brings me such a great balance in life,” he mentioned previously in an interview while discussing his four-year relationship with the Swedish influencer. After seeing their sweet moments together at all of Armand’s competitions, it’s clear the real trophy is running over to each other after the big wins.
Whether it's the faint chime of wedding bells, a second chance at love, or the cheer of Olympic victories, the City of Love is ablaze with romance at these Olympic Games!