Along with silver medal, Chinese diver gets gold ring at Rio 2016

When China’s He Zi stepped up on the podium to receive her silver medal in the women’s 3m springboard competition at Rio after the diving event, she wasn’t expecting what happened next.

Her boyfriend Qin Kai, a diving team colleague who had won a bronze in the 3m men’s synchro, stepped up to the podium, went down on one knee and proposed marriage, opening a small box with a ring.

As spectators watched, and other divers stopped what they were doing, He nodded a yes, and Qin slipped the ring on her finger, and presented her with a glass-enclosed red rose. Then, as the two of them left the podium, to the cheers of the spectators, Qin punched the air in triumph.

He, 25, carried the red rose with her to the medallists’ conference, along with her silver medal. She told reporters that she had been dating Qin, 30, for six years, but his proposal was a surprise.

"He said a lot of things," she said about what Qin had told her as he proposed. "He made a lot of promises, but the most important thing is this is the guy I can trust for the rest of my life."

He had conceded the gold to her teammate Shi Tingmao, after being tied for two rounds, says NDTV. Shi was thrilled for He and Qin. "Both of them have gone through a lot," Shi said. "It's a great moment. Qin said it best, 'This is the way it's supposed to be.'"

Feature image credit: AFP