Forget about competition: These couples support each other as they vie for a medal in Paris.
These are possibly the most romantic Olympic Games of all time: not only are they taking place in the city of love, Paris, but there are also several couples among the athletes. There have even been two proposals. Who could understand a high-performance athlete with a challenging training plan and strict diet better than another sports professional?
Huang Yaqiong and Liu Yuchen
Chinese badminton player Huang Ya Qiong is taking home two very special pieces of jewelry: the gold medal she received for her performance in the mixed doubles and an engagement ring from her lover Liu Yuchen, who also plays in the Chinese national badminton team. She said in interviews that she “didn’t expect” the proposal after her victory.
Pablo Simonet and Maria Campoy
The Argentinian couple Pablo Simonet and Maria Campoy also got engaged in Paris – but shortly before the start of the games. As they posed for official photos with their team on the Seine, the handball player suddenly stepped forward and got down on one knee in front of the hockey player after almost ten years of being together.
Jean Paul Bredau and Lena Bulmahn
The German athletics team also has a couple in the form of the two runners – and that is causing quite a stir right now. After finishing seventh in the mixed relay on August 2, 2024, starting runner Jean Paul Bredau said on ARD: “It won’t have been a matter of form today. It was more a matter of what happened before the relay.” His girlfriend Luna Bulmahn, with whom he has been in a relationship since 2023, was not used, unlike Alica Schmidt, which apparently led to displeasure. Bulmahn criticized on Instagram: “Yes, I am the second fastest German 400-meter athlete on paper. No, I was not nominated for the mixed relay. That is not my decision and is not in my hands.”
The German Athletics Association quickly took action after the public dispute and removed Luna Bulmahn from the competition. She was actually supposed to arrive on August 5th and start in the women’s 4×400 meter relay. After an apology, Jean Paul Bredau is allowed to compete in his individual 400 meter race on Monday evening.
Lara Vadlau and Lea Schüller
The Austrian soccer player Lara Vadlau and the sailor Lea Schüller have been together for years. Now they are both fighting for a medal at the Summer Games in France. “It’s great that we both made it,” the FC Bayern striker explained in an interview. However, given their tight training schedule, the lovebirds probably won’t have much time in France. “We’ll see, maybe we’ll run into each other one or two times,” they said cautiously before leaving.
Femke Bol and Ben Broeders
The Netherlands won gold in the 4x400m mixed relay on August 3 after an incredible final sprint by Femke Bol. The super runner has a Belgian pole vault friend, Ben Broeders. The professional athletes have known each other for a long time and met through athletics. They have been a couple since 2021 and live together in Heelsum, a village near the Dutch city of Arnhem.
Katie Boulter and Alex De Minaur
Briton Katie Boulter and Australian Alex De Minaur are not only united by their love of tennis. Both made their Olympic debut this year and cheer each other on. “My Olympians,” Boulter commented on the opening ceremony on De Minaur’s Instagram.
Gaël Monfils and Elina Switolina
Frenchman Gaël Monfils and his Ukrainian wife Elina Switolina Monfils are also a tennis couple. They have been together since 2019 – with one interruption. However, the two reconciled, got engaged and married on July 16, 2021. A year later, they had their daughter Skai.
Rossella Fiamingo and Gregorio Paltrinieri
The disciplines of Rossella Fiamingo and Gregorio Paltrinieri couldn’t be more different – she is a fencer and he is a swimmer. But the Italian couple, who have been together for three years, still seem to have a lot in common. For example, success: On Instagram, they were happy about the two medals they won in France. “Two are better than one,” they commented.
Ana Carolina Da Silva and Anne Buijs
Ana Carolina Da Silva plays volleyball for Brazil, Anne Buijs for the Netherlands. But the couple cannot be separated by the net – sometimes they even kiss through it.
Manon Apithy-Brunet and Boladé Apithy
The French fencing couple are supporting each other in their third Olympic Games together – and they have done so with great success. Apithy’s men’s team won bronze in the sabre, while Apithy-Brunet took home gold in the women’s individual sabre competition.
Gabriella Willems and Christian Parlati
Belgian Gabriella Willems has found love with her Italian judoka colleague Christian Parlati – and now probably has to console him. While she won a bronze medal on July 31, he was surprisingly ousted by American John Jayne.
Dominik Černý and Hana Burzalová
The Slovakian couple will tie the knot after the Olympic Games. He proposed to her at the finish line of the 2023 World Athletics Championships. She happily accepted the proposal – after stopping her watch.
Tara Davis-Woodhall and Hunter Woodhall
Track and field stars Tara Davis-Woodhall and Hunter Woodhall represent the USA at the Olympic Games. The athletes’ paths first crossed in 2017 at a high school competition in Idaho. “I thought to myself, ‘Damn, that girl is great. I’m going to marry that girl,'” he recalled in a YouTube video. They didn’t get together right away at the time, as she lived in California and he in Georgia. But they stayed in touch and eventually married in October 2022.
Lee Kiefer and Gerek Meinhardt
The two US fencers Lee Kiefer and Gerek Meinhardt met at the Olympic Games in London in 2012. They married in 2019 and took part in the Olympic Games together for the first time in 2021. In Tokyo, Lee Kiefer even won gold – and a big hug from her husband. In addition to their sports careers, the two are also studying medicine at the University of Kentucky.
Christen Press and Tobin Heath
The two teammates of the US women’s national soccer team are also a solid duo off the field. They have been a couple for eight years, they revealed during the games in Paris. “We never hid it,” said Christen Press. “Our people always knew what was going on with us.”
Noah Lyles and Junelle Bromfield
Although there is a great sporting rivalry between athletes Noah Lyles (USA) and Junelle Bromfield (Jamaica), the two are enjoying Olympic life to the fullest, as she shows on. There, the couple, who have been together since 2022, dance on the sports field or walk hand in hand through the cafeteria in the Olympic Village.
Jasmine Moore and Joseph Fahnbulleh
Jasmine Moore of Team USA met her boyfriend Joseph Fahnbulleh, who competes for Liberia, in the Olympic Village in Tokyo in 2021. Now the track and field athletes are competing in Paris. “Our long jump and 200-meter finals are on the same night. So I’m thinking, ‘Lord, please let us both get a medal on that day!'” she told People. “Hopefully all of our families can just celebrate and go to dinner and stuff like that.”
Joao Chianca and Luana Silva
The Brazilian couple João Chianca and Luana Silva are never far from the sea. The surfers’ Instagram pages are full of pictures of the two surfing, walking on the beach or simply relaxing by the water. It goes without saying that they also experience the Olympics together.
Anneli Maley and Merna Whittle
The Australian 3×3 basketball players get along well on the court and in their private lives. “Going to the Olympics with my partner is pretty cool. It’s something we’ll talk about at the wedding and for many years to come when we’re grey and old,” said Maley.
Source: Stern
I am an author and journalist who has worked in the entertainment industry for over a decade. I currently work as a news editor at a major news website, and my focus is on covering the latest trends in entertainment. I also write occasional pieces for other outlets, and have authored two books about the entertainment industry.
