Alessia Maurelli, the Italian rhythmic gymnast, had more than just an Olympic bronze medal to celebrate at the 2024 Paris Summer Olympics. After securing third place in the group all-around competition, Maurelli was met with an unexpected and heartwarming surprise—her boyfriend, Massimo Bertelloni, proposed to her as she stepped off the podium.
The 27-year-old gymnast, who has been in a relationship with Bertelloni for two years, was surrounded by her teammates when she accepted the proposal. Visibly emotional and taken aback, Maurelli shared her joy with the world. “I can’t believe it,” she told Olympics.com. “It’s a very strange day. I think it’s maybe one of the most beautiful days of my life. I will remember it forever, and I’m very happy. This ring and this medal smell of the future, and I’m very happy to live this with my best friends, teammates, and with my future husband.”
The moment was captured in a series of photos that Maurelli later posted on Instagram. The images included a close-up of her new engagement ring, perfectly complemented by an Olympic Rings-themed manicure, and a touching shot of Bertelloni on one knee, proposing with Maurelli’s bronze medal still hanging around her neck.
This proposal was the second to take place in the Porte de La Chapelle Arena during the 2024 Summer Olympics. Just days earlier, Chinese Olympian Huang Ya Qiong accepted a proposal from her boyfriend, fellow badminton player Liu Yuchen, after winning gold in the badminton mixed doubles event. While some online users criticized these public proposals as “selfish,” others saw them as the perfect way to mark the pinnacle of an athlete’s career.
As Maurelli prepares to embark on this next chapter of her life, she does so with both a medal and a ring—a double victory that she will undoubtedly cherish forever.
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