"Proud to be your wife" - Monica Puig 'overwhelmed' to show off medals with husband Nathan Rakitt as they continue Marathon journey in Chicago

Former tennis ace Monica Puig has expressed her adulation towards her husband Nathan Rakitt after the duo completed the Chicago Marathon earlier on Sunday (October 8).

Puig, gold medalist in women's singles at the 2016 Rio Olympics, retired from professional tennis due to injuries last year. Since then, the Puerto Rican has made a foray into marathon running. She donned her running sneakers for the 42-kilometer-long marathon in Chicago at the end of last week.

Monica Puig, along with her husband Nathan Rakitt, secured a medal at the marathon event as she completed the route in nearly four hours. She subsequently took to her Instagram handle to show off the couple's "overwhelming" achievement during the Chicago Marathon.

The 30-year-old also thanked her husband for giving her company at the marathon.

"Slightly overwhelmed because I'm proud of all that we've accomplished in our first year of being married. You know I'm not the sappy posts kind but I'm proud to be your wife. Thank you for doing all of these things with me I love you @nrakitt," Puig wrote on her Instagram stories.

A screen capture from Monic Puig's Instagram stories

For the uninitiated, Puig has run not one but four marathons since hanging up her racket. The 2016 Rio gold medalist took to the streets of the Big Apple for the New York City Marathon last year, and also hit her strides in the Boston Marathon and the London Marathon earlier in 2023.

Monica Puig is the only Puerto Rican athlete to win an Olympic gold medal

Monica Puig poses at the podium with her gold medal at the Rio Olympics

In 2016, Monica Puig etched her name in history books after clinching the gold medal in the women's singles tennis event at the Rio Games. With her triumph, the Puerto Rican became not only the first unseeded female player to win gold, but also the first-ever gold-medal winner from her country.

Puig had arrived at the 2016 Games with a WTA ranking of 34. However, she punched well above her weight, beating third-seeded Garbine Muguruza, 11th-seeded Petra Kvitova and second-seeded Angelique Kerber against all odds en route to her triumph in Rio.

The Puerto Rican reached a career-high ranking of 27 later in 2016. Puig never had a significant impact at a big tournament again, though. She suffered from a variety of issues, including permanent nerve damage in her elbow and a consequent decline in her form.

In June 2022, she retired from professional tennis citing cumulative load from her injuries during her career.