6 couples who won medals at the 2016 Rio Olympics

The joy of winning a medal is surely doubled if you can share it with your spouse. Having a partner who can understand and appreciate the mammoth efforts that are put behind each medal win is something every athlete wants.

At the recently-concluded Rio Olympics, some couples were fortunate enough to compete together and win medals. Not all of them were in the exact same event but that did not diminish their delight at standing together with their respective partners with a prized Olympic medal hanging around their neck.

Here are six couples who scooped up Olympic medals from Rio:

Jason Kenny (track cycling, Great Britain) and Laura Trott (track cycling, Great Britain)

Track cyclists Jason Kenny and Laura Trott’s love story, which became known worldwide during the 2012 London Olympics, has now spanned to two Olympic Games. Hailed as Great Britain’s golden couple, they now share as many as 10 Olympic gold medals, five of which came at Rio – two for Trott in women’s omnium and the women’s team pursuit and three for Kenny in men’s keirin, men’s sprint and men’s team sprint.

The couple, who plans to tie the knot in September, is unsurprisingly each other’s biggest fans. After becoming the first British female athlete to win four gold medals, an ecstatic Trott screamed her lungs out for her man who struck gold 90 minutes after his fiancée.

The super-excited 24-year-old even tweeted hoping that their future kids will inherit some of their champion genes, something she regretted later on being inundated with questions.

Arghhhh!!!!!! I love him to bits @JasonKenny107 !! Our kids have to get some of these genes right?!— Laura Trott (@LauraTrott31) August 16, 2016

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Ashton Eaton (decathlon, USA) and Brianne Theisen-Eaton (heptathlon, Canada)

Ashton Eaton embraces his wife after winning the gold in the Men's Decathlon

The athletics power couple Ashton Eaton and Brianne Theisen-Eaton, married since 2013, rooted for each other that helped them grab a men’s decathlon gold and a women’s heptathlon bronze respectively. They represented different countries but that did not stop them from being at each other’s sides throughout their Rio journey.

American Ashton Eaton, who was defending his 2012 decathlon gold, was even ridiculed for sporting a Canada cap in support of his wife’s country while she competed. Not only that, the 28-year-old even asked his Twitter followers to keep on backing her even after she had a forgettable start to her campaign.

With so much love pouring for her, the 27-year-old Canadian made a massive comeback to leap from the sixth position to finish third. She reciprocated it later on, to witness her husband equal the Olympic record en route to winning the gold and truly establishing himself as the ‘World’s Greatest Athlete.’

“To share this moment as Olympians, as Olympic medalists, with her is awesome,” Eaton later on, said about that priceless moment when both became Rio Olympic medallists.

#3 Qin Kai (diving, China) and He Zi (diving, China)

Qin Kai proposes to He Zi after she won the silver medal at Rio

Chinese divers Qin Kai and He Zi’s engagement was one of the sweetest love stories to emerge from the 16 days of competition at Rio. 30-year-old Kai who won a bronze in men’s synchronised three-metre springboard, popped the question in front of the entire audience as He was celebrating after getting her silver medal in women’s three-metre springboard.

In a sudden, unexpected move Kai appeared and totally surprised his long-time girlfriend by going down on one knee and presenting her with a diamond engagement ring. He Zi could not hold back her tears as the crowd went into raptures seeing what was happening.

No wonder their engagement photos were splashed all over the internet and became one of the most talked-about non-sport topics during the Olympics.

“He said a lot of things there at the podium. He made a lot of promises, but the thing that has touched me the most is that I think this is the guy I can trust for the rest of my life,” an overwhelmed He Zi confessed to the world media later.

#4 Tony Yoka (boxing, France) and Estelle Mossely (boxing, France)

Tony Yoka and Estelle Mossely were literally the most hitting pair at Rio

What’s more encouraging than seeing your gold medal-winning partner cheering vociferously for you from the sidelines? France’s 24-year-old Tony Yoka rode on his girlfriend Estelle Mossely’s support to edge past a tough opponent, Joe Joyce of the Great Britain en route to winning the Olympic men’s super-heavyweight boxing title.

And it wasn’t easy by any means for Yoka who endured pain from a twisted ankle while engraving his name in record books as the first Frenchman to reign supreme in the heaviest category. Mossely’s unflinching support surely made all the difference.

Earlier, she, herself came from behind to capture the women’s Olympic lightweight gold medal and that too on her 24th birthday.

“I knew he was hurt but he held on... I’m on a cloud. I cried for him, he showed his qualities. We are both Olympic champions, you can’t get any higher,” Mossely said about Yoka’s victory.

#5 Kate and Helen Richardson-Walsh (hockey, Great Britain)

The terrific duo led Great Britain to the gold medal at the Rio Olympics

It turned out to be an absolutely unforgettable Rio sojourn for the British women’s hockey team. Not only did they clinch their first ever gold medal but two of their members made some more history. The 36-year-old team captain Kate Richardson-Walsh and midfielder Helen Richardson-Walsh also became the first-ever same-sex couple to win the Olympic gold.

For the long-serving Kate who announced her retirement from international hockey following the win, the final was a special night. Her spouse, whom she married in 2013, scored a crucial penalty stroke that helped them topple the defending champions, the Netherlands.

“It is really special. To win an Olympic medal is special, to win an Olympic medal with your wife standing next to you, taking the penalty in the pressure moments is so special. We will cherish this for the rest of our lives,” said an emotional Kate Richardson-Walsh.

#6 Pang Wei (Shooting, China) and Du Li (Shooting, China)

Pang Wei after winning the bronze in the 10m Air pistol

Shooting too had its own share of a successful love story at the Rio Olympics. Chinese shooters Pang Wei and Du Li shook off their London disappointments to claim medals this time. Wei, a 10 m Air Pistol specialist and Li, a 10-metre air rifle exponent are both former Olympic gold medallists.

However, their form dipped after their wedding in 2009 due to which both of them shockingly missed out on a podium finish in 2012. But the two did not give up. Having each other by their side worked wonders as they both could understand each other’s pain during the hard times.

Their perseverance and mutual support worked wonders in Brazil as both of them reproduced their erstwhile brilliant form to clinch medals. While Li picked up the silver in women’s 10-metre air rifle and bronze in Women’s 50m rifle 3 positions, Wei added to the couple’s medal tally by getting the bronze in men’s 10m air pistol. Li also created a new Olympic record during the qualification stage of the 10m air rifle event when she shot a stunning 420.7 points.

They thus became the first married couple to win Olympic medals in the history of Chinese sports.