Love was in the air at the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris as a host of lovebird competitors got up close and personal for the world to see.
The games officially came to a close Sunday with an awe-inspiring ceremony at the Stade de France, as Paris passed the torch to Los Angeles, host of the 2028 Summer Olympics.
As the athletes travel home after two weeks of competition in the city of love, fans are still swooning over the medal winners who not only struck gold on the field of play, but in their love lives.
Here, DailyMail.com looks at some of the most adoring couples who captured the hearts of viewers around the globe.
Noah Lyles and Junelle Bromfield
Just after crossing the finish line in the 100m to win gold, Team USA’s Noah Lyles ran into the arms of his girlfriend, fellow sprinter Junelle Bromfield of Team Jamaica.
‘My girlfriend’s on [a] team as well, so we are training together and we’re competing most of the same days,’ Noah told US Weekly. ‘We have that mental space to be able to share with each other and continuously feed to each other.’
Bromfield advanced to the semifinals of the 400m, but her eighth-place finish there ended her medal bid.
Tara Davis-Woodhall and Hunter Woodhall
After tying the knot nearly two years ago, Team USA’s Tara Davis-Woodhall and Hunter Woodhall embarked on one of their biggest adventures – competing on the world stage.
Davis-Woodhall claimed Olympic gold in the long jump and leapt straight into the arms of her athlete husband, Hunter Woodhall. The emotional embrace, punctuated by his proud declaration, ‘Babe, you’re the Olympic champion!’ quickly became a viral sensation.
‘I haven’t been on social media much, so I don’t know how viral it’s gone!’ Davis-Woodhall told People . ‘Everyone’s been telling me the whole world’s been seeing it, [but] that’s just Hunter and I. He’s my biggest supporter, and I guess the whole world got to see how much he supports me.’
Now Davis-Woodhall is turning her attention to cheering on her husband. Woodhall, a double-amputee sprinter, is set to compete in the Paralympic Games kicking off on August 28.
Alice Finot’s post-race proposal
In a dramatic post-race proposal, French runner Alice Finot dropped to one knee and asked her boyfriend to marry her just moments after shattering the European record in the 3,000-meter steeplechase final.
Finishing in fourth place, Finot sprinted to the stands and popped the question to her boyfriend, Spanish triathlete Bruno Martinez Bargiela, attaching a ‘Love is in Paris’ pin to his shirt.
‘I told myself that if I ran under nine minutes, knowing that nine is my lucky number and that we’ve been together for nine years, then I would propose,’ Finot told the AP.
Finot commented on the unconventional romantic power play, embracing the unique gesture.
‘I don’t like doing things like everyone else,’ Finot said. ‘Since he hadn’t done it yet, I thought maybe it was up to me.’
Anneli Maley and Marena Whittle lock lips
n basketball players Anneli Maley and Marena Whittle set off to Paris not just to make their Olympic debut, but to inspire those in the LGBTQIA+ community.
Maley and Whittle played together on ‘s 3×3 basketball team at the games. While they didn’t take home a medal, they did make their love known – and with intention.
‘It’s about getting to create something that is normal and to have visibility for the LGBTQIA+ community,’ Maley said before the start of the games.
‘It’s obviously about basketball, but how cool is it that we get to be that example for the younger girls and boys who get to see that representation on an Olympic stage?’
The ‘exes’ thattook home gold
In a dramatic twist of fate, former couple Katerina Siniakova and Tomas Machac won the mixed doubles gold medal in tennis for the Czech Republic.
Just weeks after their breakup, the pair shared a kiss on court after defeating China’s Zhang Zhizhen and Wang Xinyu.
The couple, who had been dating since 2020, announced their split last month during the Prague Open but insisted they would still compete as a team at the Olympics despite their off-court split.
Siniakova said: ‘Yes, of course. It’s a private matter, but of course we will play together. We are professionals.’
Now fans are going wild after the seemingly reconciliatory moment and are speculating whether the pair might be getting back together.
‘That’s private,’ Siniakova told a reporter who inquired about their relationship status, according to AP.
Machac classified their relationship as ‘top secret’: ‘We like to keep you guessing.’
Simone Biles’s boyfriend was her biggest fan
Simone Biles concluded her Paris Olympic campaign with four more medals, bringing her career total to eleven and making her the the most decorated U.S. gymnast in the history of the Olympics.
Her unwavering support system throughout the games included her husband, Chicago Bears defensive back Jonathan Owens, who temporarily left his team’s training camp to cheer on his wife.
While Owens left a sour taste in fans’ mouths with comments about ‘being the catch’ in their pairing and admitting to not knowing who his wife was before meeting her, Biles quickly brushed off the negativity.
The pair met on Raya during the pandemic, with Biles admitting she said hi to Owens first. Two years after becoming Instagram official in 2020, Owens got down on one knee and proposed to Biles.
An intimate courthouse ceremony in Houston occurred in April 2023 before a larger wedding in Cabo the month after.