China’s he zi received the shock of her life when team-mate and boyfriend qin kai rushed up with a diamond ring during the medal ceremony of the women’s 3m springboard.
Qin, who himself won a bronze in the men’s synchronised diving last week, climbed up to the stage after He Zi received her silver medal, getting down on one knee while holding a red box with the ring and a glass-encased rose.
“I didn’t know he would propose today and I didn’t expect to marry myself out so early,” said He, who tearfully accepted the proposal with a big hug.
“I saw him during the afternoon and he seemed to be memorising something, so I asked him ‘what are you doing?’ and he said he was singing,” she revealed.
“I’ve forgotten most of what he said (during the proposal), but it’s largely what you can expect like promises. What touched me the most is that he said he was willing to be bullied by me for life!” said the 25-year-old, who has been dating Qin for the past six years.
He’s compatriot, Shi Tingmao, who won the gold, revealed she had knew about the proposal before the event, which Qin watched from the sidelines with the rest of the Chinese team.
“I’m really happy for them, because these last years, be it in terms of career or relationships, they have had to face a lot of pressure,” she said.
Marriage proposals during medal ceremonies are becoming something of a fashion at Rio 2016. In the first week, Brazilian rugby player Isadora Cerullo accepted a marriage proposal from her girlfriend at the medals ceremony of the inaugural Olympic rugby sevens competition.
