Chinese badminton player Huang Yaqiong wins gold at Paris Olympics, gets marriage proposal

What’s better than winning an Olympic gold medal?

How about winning a gold medal and almost immediately getting a marriage proposal?

That’s exactly what happened Friday to Huang Yaqiong, a women’s badminton player from China.

Yaqiong teamed with Zheng Siwei to win gold medal in the badminton mixed doubles competition at the 2024 Paris Olympic Games, beating Kim Wonho and Jeong Naeun of South Korea (21-8, 21-11). 

Then, once Ya Qiong went through the medal ceremony, fellow Chinese badminton player Zheng Siwei had a surprise for her. 

Shortly after winning gold together in the mixed doubles at the Paris 2024 Olympics, Chinese Liu Yuchen went down on one knee to propose to his teammate Huang Ya Qiong.

Huang Ya Qiong and Zheng Siwei won the gold medal in the badminton mixed doubles after defeating South Korea's Jeong Na-eun and Kim Won-ho in two sets. 

As Huang and Zheng left the podium, Liu was waiting with flowers. A seemingly surprised Huang accepted the flowers and then Liu pulled out a ring and dropped to one knee to propose. She said yes. 

Yuchen ‒ who won a silver medal in the men’s doubles competition at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics and competed in men’s doubles again during these Paris Games ‒ pulled out a ring, got down on one knee and proposed.