The Olympics are known as the most elite cultural hub in athletics. These nineteen days of rivalry highlight the world’s finest athletes competing head to head in search of gold. Beneath the games and trials, athletes prove they are, unexpectedly, not so different from the rest of us. Throughout the Parisian games, we’ve seen their love, loss, and even their favorite muffins. For the majority of us, we’ll never set eyes on the Olympic fields, nevertheless Sha’Carri Richardson or Simone Biles. Even so, the world is brought closer to these athletes’ rarefied lives through endearing and relatable anecdotes.
“Do you know the muffin man?” is a longtime question remaining unanswered, until now. Henrik Christiansen, a Norwegian swimmer racing the 800m and 1500m freestyle, introduced what came to be the Olympic muffin. The famous muffins were first popularized when he posted an 11-part TikTok series raving about the triple chocolate dessert. He announced, “Guys, I think I have a problem.” This viral video series launched a worldwide muffin-phenomenon, and a hasty search for this seemingly irreplicable recipe. Amidst this search, it was released that these treats were not muffins at all, but were, in fact, miniature cakes. It could be argued that’s what a muffin inherently is, but is it an Olympic breakfast? Christiaensen certainly thought so, along with other Olympians weighing in on the topic. Many of them complained that they couldn’t eat the treats until after their races or weigh-ins, but many relished in the chocolaty goodness for all 19 days. One could say that as Christiaensen ate these muffins up, so did the rest of the world.
Muffins aren’t the only thing these athletes are crazy about, love blossomed throughout the Olympic Village during the games. The most iconic story may have been Hunter Woodhall and Tara Davis-Woodhall who went from High School sweethearts to Olympic lovers. Originally meeting at a track meet at 17, Tara said in an interview with International Paralympic Committee, “He was running the 400m actually, and I went up to the track and I gave him a hug and I said, ‘I don’t know why I have to do this, but I have to hug you’.” And it’s good she did, because it turned into an epic, Olympic, love story. Hunter ran the men’s 400m T62 (absence of both legs beneath the knee) in the Paralympics, and Tara raced long jump in the Olympics. Both secured gold at the 2024 games. “To have a partner in the same sport, it means everything,” Tara said. But It’s not just these two who found each other. Love can be found in every sport, in every country. Madison Chock and Evan Bates, a popular figure skating duo, married just two months before the Olympic games. Even long-term couples like Gerek Meinhardt and Lee Kiefer, who have been together for twelve years, working alongside each other to dominate the fencing game. Ultimately, these athletes have not only found love in their sport, but have found it in each other.
As viewers watch these competitors run, jump, ski, and swim, they can’t help but desire a look into their lives. As otherworldly as athletes may seem, stories as big as love or as small as a muffin can make a true difference in perspective. Each time the Olympics roll around, the world is reminded that every athlete has a story to tell, with thousands of fans eager to listen.
Behind the Medals
Olympic Stories That Won Gold in our Hearts.
More to Discover