The summer of love. Just moments after winning a silver medal at the 2016 Rio Olympics, Chinese diver He Zi’s boyfriend, fellow diver Qin Kai, proposed to her on the podium.
As Zi, 25, received her medal for the women’s 3-meter springboard event Sunday, August 14, Kai, 30, climbed onstage and got down on bended knee, pulling out an engagement ring in a red box.
The silver medalist appeared to be in shock as she covered her mouth and teared up before Kai — who had won bronze in the men’s 3-meter synchronized springboard event last week — placed the stunning rock on her finger. Shortly after, he gave fans a thumbs-up with a big smile on his face.
“We’ve been dating for over six years. I didn’t know he would propose today, and I didn’t expect myself to marry myself out so early,” Zi told reporters after the surprise proposal, according to Reuters. “I saw him during the afternoon and he seemed to be memorizing something, so I asked him, ‘What are you doing?’ and he said he was singing.”
The Guangxi native added, “I’ve forgotten most of what he’s said [during the proposal], but it’s largely what you can expect, like promises, but what touched me the most is that he said he was willing to be bullied by me for life.”
Zi and Kai are the second couple to get engaged at the 2016 Summer Olympics. Last week, Brazilian rugby player Isadora Cerullo’s girlfriend, Marjorie Enya, proposed to her on the field.
“The Olympic Games can look like closure but, for me, it’s starting a new life with someone,” Enya told the BBC Tuesday, August 9. “I wanted to show people that love wins.”