The city of love lives up to its nickname in the 2024 Paris Summer Olympics, with many athletes sharing heartfelt stories and moments with their significant other after winning and making their dreams come true. From proposals to second-chance love, it seems like this year’s Olympics was written straight from a romance novel.
Right at the beginning of the festivities, Italian high jumper Giamarco Tamberini lost his wedding ring in the River Seine during the opening ceremony. He took to Instagram to describe the feeling of loss in his heart, and apologized to his wife for his unforgivable act.
Seven athletes also experienced proposals. One of the most memorable was when Chinese badminton player, Huang Yaqiong, won both gold and an engagement ring. Her fiancé, a fellow badminton player on Team China, got down on one knee following her medal ceremony. She said yes to her boyfriend surrounded by her loved ones in the city of love.
Another sweet moment was when long jumper Tara Davis-Woodhall won her first Olympic gold medal and she ran to the stands to celebrate with her husband. After Davis-Woodhall’s record-breaking jump, she celebrated in the arms of her husband. “Oh my gosh, you’re an Olympic champion,” her husband, Hunter Woodhall, can be overheard saying as they celebrate the win. Woodhall is a paralympic champion and will be competing in the Paralympics games.
But perhaps the most memorable moment of all was when Swedish pole vaulter Armand Duplantis won the gold medal in his event, and then decided he wanted to break the world record. After two tries, Duplantis finally beat the record and jumped a record high of 6.24 m. Immediately after he broke the world record, he raced over to his girlfriend in the stands. These two have become viral on the Internet, as videos of their sweet embrace after winning have been captioned with the Taylor Swift lyrics “Where’s the trophy, he just comes running over to me.” The same lyrics have been used for the Woodhall’s joyous celebration of Tara’s win as well.
Last but certainly not least, two Czech Republic tennis players had the opportunity of second-chance love. Kateřina Siniaková and Tomáš Macháč won gold in mixed doubles, and they hugged and kissed each other as celebration. The pair were a four-year-old couple who had just recently broken up in July. However, after this Olympics, their relationship appears to be back on.
The 2024 Olympics were record-breaking Simone Biles first time attending as a wife. Her husband, Green Bay Packers player Jonathan Owens, attended Biles’ competitions wearing a “G.O.A.T.” shirt. (Photo/@simonebiles)
