WATCH: Romance Brews At Paris Olympics 2024 As Chinese Shuttler Gets Marriage Proposal After Winning Gold
New Delhi: After China’s ace shuttler Huang Ya Qiong clinched a gold medal in the mixed team event at the Paris Olympics 2024, her fellow shuttler Liu Yu Chen proposed to her, creating her triumph into a more special one. The Paris Games has been a memorable event for athletes to propose to their partners. Before the Summer Games in Paris, Argentina’s Pablo Simonet proposed to Pilar Campoy, his longtime partner.
On Friday, Huang Ya Qiong and Zheng Siwei stood on the podium after their 21-8, 21-11 victory in the mixed team event final against South Korea’s Kim Won-ho and Jeong Na-eun.
After her triumph, Liu proposed to Ya Qiong in front of a packed crowd by getting down on one knee. The three-time world champion accepted, and now she returns to China with both a gold medal and a ring on her finger.
Chinese Olympian Liu Yuchen proposed to Huang Ya Qiong after she won gold pic.twitter.com/LOqeAKW8HR
— Pubity (@pubity) August 2, 2024
Huang Ya Qiong and Liu Yu Chen remained unbeaten throughout the event, winning all six of their matches—three in the group stage and three in the knockout stage.
In the bronze medal match, Japan’s Yuta Watanabe and Arisa Higashino defeated South Korea’s Seo Seung-jae and Chae Yu-jung with scores of 21-13, 22-20. Despite their Tokyo Olympics bronze, Yuta expressed disappointment at not securing gold, stating, “The bronze medal is not the best. I wanted the gold medal, but this is better than nothing,” as quoted by ESPN.
Huang Ya Qiong and Zheng Siwei’s victory secured back-to-back gold medals for China in the Olympic mixed doubles event, with China now having won five golds out of the last eight editions. China is also guaranteed a gold or silver medal in the women’s doubles badminton event, as an all-China final on Saturday will feature Chen Qing Chen and Jia Yi Fan against Liu Shengshu and Tan Ning.