Olympic rings: China’s He receives a marriage proposal from her diver boyfriend to go with her silver medal
He Zi accepts a proposal from fellow Olympian Qin Kai moments after receiving her silver medal
It was a day of double celebration for Chinese diving queen He Zi at the Rio Olympics – she clinched silver in the 3 metre springboard before getting a ring on her finger.
Her diver boyfriend, Olympian Qin Kai, made a surprise appearance at the Maria Lenk Aquatics Centre after He received her shining silver medal.
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But nothing is shinier than the ring that Qin was carrying. He went down on one knee and asked his sweetheart to marry him.
As tears rolled down her cheeks, she happily said yes.
“We’ve been dating for over six years. I didn’t know that he would propose today, and I didn’t expect that I would marry myself out so early,” a smiling He, 25, said after the engagement.
“He said a lot of things there at the podium. 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.”
“He said to me that he will make me happy for the rest of my life. Now he definitely has to make me happy for the rest of my life,” the diving queen said.
WATCH: relive the action involving Hong Kong athletes on Day 9
Qin, 30, won bronze in men’s synchronised 3 metre springboard in Rio. He said after the event that he is considering retiring.
He’s teammate Shi Tingmao won gold in the 3 metre springboard event, scoring 406.05. The now-engaged diver took silver with a score of 387.90. Bronze went to Italy’s Tania Cagnotto, who scored 372.8.
“Both of them (He and Qin) have been through a lot over so many years. It’s very stressful for them,” Shi said.
