American shot putter Payton Otterdahl proposed to his girlfriend, Maddy Nilles, beside the iconic Eiffel Tower during the 2024 Olympics.
“Meanwhile, in the City of Love…I love you forever, Maddy Nilles! @maddynilles27 ❤️,” Otterdahl wrote alongside a series of snapshots on Instagram.
The photos capture Otterdahl, 28, as he kneels to propose, followed by the couple sharing a kiss and Otterdahl placing a ring on Nilles’ finger.
Meanwhile, Nilles shared the proposal photos on her Instagram story. “Je vous aime (I LOVE YOU),” Nilles captioned the images. Nilles, an assistant track and field coach at Nebraska, previously excelled as a thrower at North Dakota State, where he and Otterdahl both competed in the shot put.
Of course, denizens of Instagram flooded the comments of Otterdahl’s proposal post.
“This is so iconic,’ one onlooker gushed in the comments. “Stop it!!! Cuties! Congratulations 🎉 🥹,” a second admirer added. “Congrats guys!! What a perfect place to do it 😍,” a third Instagram user chimed in.
The Olympic Shot Putter’s Proposal Comes Shortly After Placing 4th at the 2024 Games
The romantic proposal follows Otterdahl coming just shy of earning a medal for the USA.
Otterdahl recently participated in his second Olympic Games, achieving a commendable fourth place in the men’s shot put final on Saturday with a throw of 22.03 meters. This performance follows his 10th-place finish in Tokyo three years ago.
Teammates Ryan Crouser and Joe Kovacs secured gold and silver medals, respectively, while Jamaica’s Rajindra Campbell claimed the bronze.
“Fourth in the world! It stings to have been so close to earning a medal for the USA, but I am proud nonetheless,” Otterdahl wrote on Instagram following the event.
“The furthest Olympic 4th place ever,” he continued. “Congratulations to my fellow competitors. It’s always an honor competing among such great men. Thank you to my friends, family, and coach for the support this year. It means the world to me.”
“The season is not done yet, I still have a handful of competitions at the end of the month. I hope I earn the opportunity to represent the USA 🇺🇸 again in the future. Until then, the 🅿️🚂 keeps on rolling.”