China’s Huang Yaqiong won Olympic badminton mixed doubles gold on Friday before she was surprised by a marriage proposal from her off-court partner.
Huang and Zheng Siwei claimed the sport’s first gold of the Paris Games when they demolished South Korea’s Kim Won-ho and Jeong Na-eun 21-8, 21-11 in just 41 minutes.
The pair received their medals at La Chapelle Arena and then climbed down off the podium for a victory lap.
Waiting in the far corner was Huang’s boyfriend Liu Yuchen, a men’s doubles player who won silver in Tokyo three years ago and exited in the group stage in Paris.
Liu presented Huang with a bunch of flowers before whipping out a ring and getting down on one knee, much to the delight of the Chinese fans packed into the arena.
Huang said the proposal had been “very surprising”. “I had been preparing for the match,” said the 30-year-old, showing off her ring to reporters. “Today I became an Olympic champion and I got engaged. I think the ring fits my finger really well.”