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As the opening ceremonies for the 2016 Olympic games in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil take place tonight, the world will be watching and waiting to see which of these star athletes will take home the gold. But these eight Olympians have already snagged the gold — when it comes to love, that is! After sprinting down the track, sticking their landings, and throwing the javelin, these Olympic athletes walked down the aisle, tied the knot, and threw the bouquet — and we cheered just as loudly, of course!
In honor of the start of the Rio Summer Olympics 2016, we’re throwing it back to the perfect-10 romances of the top athletes of Olympics past. From Shawn Johnson’s spring wedding to Michael Phelp’s current engagement and adorable baby with his bride-to-be, here are eight past Olympians who added to their gold collection in the form of wedding and engagement rings. (That’s just as cool as a medal, right?)
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Sasha Cohen
As an award-winning figure skater in the 2006 Olympic games, Sasha Cohen is no stranger to ice, but it’s her newest piece of ice that has caught our eye! After competing in the Olympics, the skater returned to academics and met hedge fund manager Tom May at a Harvard Business School party in 2014. A year later, Cohen announced their to-be-wed status in an #EngagementRingSelfie on Instagram, where she showed off her new oval-cut bling and her hubby-to-be. “Engaged to the most incredible man… I’ve never been so happy,” she captioned the photo.
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Misty May
Anyone else remember being jealous of Misty May’s killer abs back in the early oughts? The beach volleyball player is a three-time Olympic gold medalist, competing in the 2004, 2008, and 2012 games. Less than three months after winning her first gold medal, May tied the knot with professional baseball player Matt Treanor. Fun fact: Her Olympics teammate Kerri Walsh stood by her side as a bridesmaid on the big day!
Shawn Johnson
Eight years after snagging the gold medal in 2008 for her balance beam performance, this gymnast snagged the love of her life: NFL player Andrew East. They wed in April 2016 in Nashville, Tennessee with Johnson exchanging her Olympics leotard for a strapless mermaid wedding dress. “I’m not a really girly-girl and I’ll have on this beautiful dress and it’s out of my comfort zone,” Johnson shared with People magazine ahead of the big day. She had no reason to be nervous — that dress scored a perfect 10 from us!
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Gretchen Bleiler
Three years after shredding snow in the 2006 Torino Olympics and winning the silver medal, snowboarder Gretchen Bleiler exchanged the snow for some serious sun. In 2009, she wed her sweetheart, Chris Hotell in Costa Rica. Always the athlete, the bride even rode into her ceremony on horseback — a total surprise to her groom!
Michael Phelps
Those 22 medals Phelps won throughout his Olympic career can’t compete with the greatest prize of all — his adorable family! Sure, that sounds more than a little cheesy, but have you seen them?! In February of last year, the most decorated Olympian in history announced his engagement to his girlfriend, former Miss California Nicole Johnson. And in May 2016, Phelps and Johnson welcomed their first child — a son they named Boomer Robert Phelps. “One of the coolest things about being a father going into Rio is that our firstborn has the chance to see my last race ever,” the champion swimming told Us Weekly. “I think that’s something that’ll be really special.”
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So this just happened… @matt_lombardi pic.twitter.com/jGdyEDdd9C
— Nastia Liukin (@NastiaLiukin) June 2, 2015
Nastia Liukin
This Olympian gymnast is a gold medalist and has a HUGE diamond engagement ring to show off, but she somehow still didn’t win that coveted disco ball trophy on Dancing with the Stars. Can you say robbed? Liukin took home the gold in 2008, competed on DWTS in 2015, and then started her journey to becoming a Mrs. later that same year. Her sweetheart, Matt Lombardi, proposed with a cushion-cut engagement ring with a double-pavé halo, which is totally just as impressive as Liukin’s performance on the balance beam.
New details on Charlie White and Tanith Belbin's wedding! http://t.co/OqZgaAmoqv pic.twitter.com/bk0tfUxqh7
— BRIDES (@brides) April 28, 2015
Charlie White and Tanith Belbin
Not one, but two Olympic ice dancers in the fam? Charlie White and Tanith Belbin have got to be the coolest couple on the block! (Get it? Cool?) White took home the gold medal during the 2014 Olympics, while his now-wife snagged the silver in 2006. They tied the knot in April of last year in Ann Arbor, Michigan — just a few miles from the Detroit ice rink where the couple met over 15 years before! Amazing, right? “She was the most beautiful girl at the rink,” White previously reminisced with People magazine.
Photo: Getty Images
Tom Daley
The British Olympic diver dove head first into love with his engagement to American screenwriter Dustin Lance Black. The couple went the traditional route, announcing their to-be-wed status in the Times of London newspaper in October of last year. “The engagement is announced between Tom, son of Robert and Debra Daley of Plymouth, and Lance, son of Jeff Bisch of Philadelphia and Anne Bisch of Lake Providence,” the announcement read — and the upcoming wedding plans should be coming soon! “They are going to wait until after the [2016] Olympic Games in Rio before they decide on the date of the wedding and where they want to marry,” Daley’s mother told the Plymouth Herald. We can’t wait!
See More: Our Favorite Celebrity Engagement Rings