That’s not what they meant by Olympic rings.
Olympian Liu Yuchen proposed to his girlfriend and fellow Chinese badminton player Huang Yaqiong after she scored a gold medal at the Paris 2024 Olympics this month – but the tender moment created tension online, with social media critics slamming him for stealing her limelight.
In a video of the proposal, Yaqiong proudly displayed her glittering gold medal around her neck as Yuchen knelt on the ground and popped the question, asking: “I will love you forever! Will you marry me?” After slipping the ring onto her finger, he kissed her left hand and the lovebirds posed for photos as the crowd cheered.
But not everyone seemed as excited as Yaqiong – who, in a statement to reporters, said it was “very surprising” – after the clip went viral following the proposal.
“If my boyfriend ever did this, I’m ready to punch him and get on the podium,” one user on X lashed out.
“Propose to me after I win the medal?? Honey you will never hear from me again! I had to do it for you,” teased another.
“Men will always want the center of attention. This is her moment, then along comes a man,” commented an outraged observer.
But on Instagram, Yaqiong thanked her fiance for “making my day”, telling reporters that “the ring fits my finger really well”.
The Olympian is not the only athlete to score a ring in the City of Love.
US shot putter Payton Otterdahl proposed to girlfriend Maddy Nilles in front of the Eiffel Tower, while US gold medalist Olympic rower Justin Best popped the question on live television.
During an interview on the “Today Show” on Monday, he got down on one knee to ask for his girlfriend Lainey Duncan’s hand in marriage.
“I knew you were special – it was the first meeting. I said, ‘I wanted to go to the Olympics,’ and you, without question, said, ‘Yes, absolutely. Go for it,” he said, via Today.
Calling her the love of his life, he asked her “the easiest question”: “Will you marry me?”
“I’m just as nervous as I was lining up for the starting line,” Best, who scored Team USA’s first gold medal in the four-man sculls since 1960, told Today after the proposal. “I don’t know—if I had a heart rate monitor on, it might have been like 130 beats per minute.”
He added: “I got the gold and the girl – and she got the diamond!”
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Fonte dell'immagine: nypost.com
