Chinese diver He Zi received two surprises at the Rio Olympics on Sunday.
Not only did she win the silver medal for the women’s three-meter springboard, but her boyfriend, Qin Kai, proposed to her in front of a global TV audience.
Olympic diver, Qin, rushed up to the podium to get down on one knee during He’s medal ceremony. He popped the question while holding a ring in a red box.
“I didn’t know he would propose today and I didn’t expect to marry myself out so early,” the 25-year-old said, according to Olympic.org.
At this moment, He appears overwhelmed and wipes tears from her eyes before finally smiling, according to BBC. Qin stands up and slides the ring onto her engagement finger when she agrees to his proposal. Afterward, he hands her a red rose encased in glass before the couple of six years share an embrace.
“He said a lot of things there at the podium,” He told CNN. “He made a lot of promises, but the thing that has touched me the most is that I think this is the guy I can trust for the rest of my life.”
Olympic.org reported Chinese diver Shi Tingmao, who won the gold medal, said she knew about the proposal beforehand. Meanwhile, He was clueless.
“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,” He said, according to Olympic.org.
On another note, Qin won a bronze medal in the men’s synchronized 3-meter springboard last week.
“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,” Shi revealed to Olympic.org.
However, not everyone is congratulating the couple. Social media users are criticizing Qin’s actions on Weibo.
Gu Jueyang wrote, “If she rejects his offer of marriage, she will be labeled a cruel person by billions around the world, watching. It may be masked as romantic but I feel otherwise.”
London-based author Sunny Singh tweeted her disapproval at Qin and even told BBC it was a “dick move.”
Dude! Way to rain on her parade. You couldn't even give her her moment of victory? Her expression says it all ???? https://t.co/yc3N2pV7nd
— Sunny Singh (@sunnysingh_n6) August 15, 2016
“It’s a control mechanism, a way of saying ‘you may just have won an Olympic medal, or be a CEO or have designed a spacecraft, but really the most important thing is you’re my wife,” Singh said to BBC.
However, his proposal is not the first at this year’s Olympics. Brazilian rugby player Isadora Cerullo and girlfriend Marjorie Enya got engaged at a Rio Games venue last Monday, according to CNN.
