Romance blossomed when they were partners on the dance competition show.
Updated Sep 09, 2024The Most Romantic Couple Moments from the 2024 Paralympics
There were so. many. proposals.
Photos: Getty Images
There were a record-breaking number of proposals at the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris, France—and the fun continued at the Paralympics. Considering the games took place in the most romantic city in the world this year, it's no surprise that athletes (and their partners) were feeling the love.
Although the Paralympics officially ended on September 8, 2024, we're still thinking about all of the emotional engagements and swoon-worthy displays of PDA we saw over the competition's two-week span. (And, of course, we're rewatching every video of Tara Davis and Hunter Woodhall that shows up on our FYP.) Here, look back on our favorite Paralympic couples and the viral moments we won't forget any time soon.
Italian Sprinter Alessandro Ossola Proposes After Qualifying Heat
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Although Italian sprinter Alessandro Ossola did not qualify for the final of the T63 100 meters, he turned the moment around to be one he'd remember forever. After finishing the race, he ran over to his girlfriend Arianna Mandaradoni, who was watching from the stands. Ossola got down on one knee and proposed in front of the entire stadium.
"You're crazy!" Mandaradoni exclaimed before saying yes. "I thought of proposing here (at Paris 2024) a few weeks ago," Ossola later told the official World Para Athletics outlet. "Life is strange. Sometimes it unbends your journey on an incredible day, even when it seems that things are not working well."
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The engagement was a full-circle moment for the athlete, who lost his first wife in a 2015 motorcycle accident. (That incident resulted in a near-total amputation of his left leg.) "Our relationship is like a maelstrom because every athlete needs people around them to push them," he told Olympics.com after the engagement. "Sometimes [Arianna] believed in me more than I believed in myself, and that's something truly amazing…This is something everyone needs, and I hope that everyone finds someone like her. She is my partner...for life."
Mexican Triathlete Brenda Osnaya Gets Engaged to Her Coach
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Falling in love with your coach might sound like the plot of a romance novel, but it's reality for Brenda Osnaya. The Mexican para-triathlete began participating in the sport after she suffered a broken spine in a 2010 car accident. She ultimately teamed up with coach Jessie Gonzalez in 2020—and the rest, as they say, is history.
Although she ended her race at the 2024 Paralympics in fifth place, she used the opportunity to pull out a sign from her pocket that read, "¿Te quieres casar conmigo?" which translates to, "Do you want to marry me?" Gonzalez's answer? "Si," of course. "I was happy because I knew I had already achieved my goal of being in the top five," Osnaya told reporters. "But asking my partner to marry me makes me happy, too."
Tara Davis and Hunter Woodhall Celebrate His First Gold Medal
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Track stars Hunter Woodhall and Tara Davis-Woodhall emerged as the king and queen of the 2024 Olympics. She won her first long jump gold at the Olympics, and he took home *his* first gold in the men's 400-meter T62 race at the Paralympics. They went viral for their emotional celebration after her big win—and as expected, Davis was in the stands waiting to celebrate her husband's victory just a few weeks later.
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"HUNTER WOODHALL IS A PARALYMPIC GOLD MEDALIST," they shared on their joint Instagram page. "HIS MOMENT AND HE TOOK IT." As to be expected, the pair showed off their matching gold hardware before leaving Paris. "So many emotions, mainly just grateful and proud to be an American," Woodhall wrote on Instagram. "Dreams do come true, sometimes they just take awhile. Keep fighting."
American Archer Tracy Otto Gets Engaged Under the Eiffel Tower
The hottest place to propose at the 2024 Olympics was underneath the Eiffel Tower. Such was the case for American track and field athlete Payton Otterdahl—but it's also where Paralympic archer Traco Otto got engaged too. Immediately after Otto's competition, she went out sightseeing with her partner, Rick Riessle. While they were taking in the sparkly lights illuminating the historic landmark, he dropped to one knee, eliciting cheers from onlookers. "I may not have won a medal today but I am going home with something shiny 😉💍," Otto wrote on Instagram.
Spanish Triathlete Lionel Morales Gonzalez Proposes at the Olympic Village
Although there's a lot of speculation about what *really* goes down in the Olympic Village, it's not all X-rated. Just before the 2024 Paralympics began, Spanish triathlete Lionel Morales Gonzalez proposed to his girlfriend, Jes, outside the dining hall. (Yes, the same one where "Muffin Man" Henrik Christiansen went viral for his love of chocolate muffins.)
According to the official Paralympics Instagram page, the athlete popped the question right after lunchtime. She happily accepted—and, in a cheeky celebration, the couple's friends threw condoms in the air like confetti.
Brazilian Badminton Player Rogerio Junior Xavier Proposes to Volleyball Star Edwarda de Oliveira Dias
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After his badminton match, Brazilian Paralympian Rogerio Junior Xavier proposed to his girlfriend, sitting volleyball player Edwarda de Oliveira Dias. Talking to reporters after she happily accepted, Xavier said, "She is the love of my life and a part of all my dreams. She motivated me, made me believe and showed me the right path here…To ask her to marry me at that moment was incredible for me."
As for Dias, she explained that she wasn't prepared for such a public display of affection—but it didn't have an impact on her response. "It's a dream come true, but I'm not used to the attention. I wasn't expecting it, but I'm very lucky to have him," she said. "I'm still trying to come to terms with what's happened."
