China’s Liu Yuchen proposes to teammate Huang Ya Qiong after she won her mixed doubles badminton final match at the 2024 Summer Olympics. (AP)
In a heartwarming moment, Chinese badminton star Huang Ya Qiong’s triumph on the court was swiftly followed by a romantic victory off the court. Just minutes after winning the mixed doubles gold medal alongside partner Zheng Siwei, Huang’s boyfriend, Chinese men’s doubles player Liu Yuchen, got down on one knee and proposed to her, making their Olympic celebration even more unforgettable.
It’s not the first proposal we’ve had between athletes these Games, either. Argentina’s Pablo Simonet and Maria Campoy got engaged in the Olympic Village earlier in the Games.
Huang Ya Qiong and her mixed doubles partner Zheng Siwei defeated South Korea’s Kim Won-ho and Jeong Na-eun 21-8, 21-11 to cap an unbeaten run in Paris Olympics.
China’s Zheng Si Wei, left, and Huang Ya Qiong celebrate a point as they play against South Korea’s Kim Won-ho and Jeong Na-eun during their mixed doubles badminton final match. (AP)
“For me, the proposal is very surprising because I have been preparing for the game,” Huang said through an interpreter.
“Today I am an Olympic champion and I got proposed (to), so that’s something I didn’t expect.”
OMG LIU YUCHEN, SILVER MEDALIST FROM TOKYO, PROPOSED TO HUANG YAQIONG, GOLD MEDALIST PARIS 2024, AFTER SHE WON HER MEDAL. I AM FUCKING CRYING #Paris2024 pic.twitter.com/UWB0UUqSoO
— Art (@ArturoIntac) August 2, 2024
Zheng said he got engaged three years ago after losing in the final and considers this a better experience for her partner.
“I think it must be happier for her,” he said. “Last time it was purely for my proposal, but this time is basically double lucky things happening at the same time.”
Huang and Zheng, silver medalists at the Tokyo Olympics in 2021, went 3-0 in group play to earn the top seed in the quarterfinals. They finished the tournament 6-0 without losing a game in the process.
China has won mixed doubles badminton gold at back-to-back Olympics and five out of eight times since it became a medal event in Atlanta in 1996.
The country is guaranteed women’s doubles badminton gold and silver. Chen Qing Chen and Jia Yi Fan will face Liu Shengshu and Tan Ning in an all-China final on Saturday.
