Argentinian fencer loses out on medal – but gets surprise proposal from her coach and partner
Argentina’s fencer María Belén Pérez Maurice may have suffered defeat in the Tokyo Olympics on Monday, but a gold ring and a celebration is still in order as her coach and partner of 17 years popped her the question in the middle of an interview.
Pérez Maurice’s Olympic run came to an end after she lost to Hungary’s Anna Marton on the women’s saber individual competition by 15-12. The 36-year-old fencer, however, has a reason to celebrate.
Lucas Saucedo, her coach and partner for 17 years, decided to propose to her on camera in the middle of an interview she was giving to an Argentinian channel over her loss at the Olympics.
Standing behind her, Saucedo quietly flashed a handwritten sign that read “Will you marry me, please?” along with a doodle of a little cat.
Pérez Maurice was initially oblivious to the gesture. It was only after the reporter, who was taking her interview, burst out laughing and told her to turn around that she was taken by surprise.
The fencer, after her initial moment of shock, happily accepted the proposal after Saucedo went down on one knee. The couple then shared an emotional moment on camera.
“They (the press) told me to turn around and he had the letter. I forgot everything. I was like, ‘Oh my God,’” she said.
“We are very happy. We are very good partners. Of course, we have fights, but we enjoy each other’s time. We love each other so much, and we want to spend our lives together. We are going to celebrate in Buenos Aires with a big barbecue,” she added.
This is not the first time Saucedo proposed to her. In 2010, he faced rejection, as Pérez Maurice told him then that she was too young to settle down.
The preparation for the impromptu proposal was not an easy task for Saucedo. He said he asked an Olympics volunteer for help. The volunteer initially refused, but agreed once Saucedo traded an Olympic pin with him in the exchange for supplies.
He said he would have waited for the right moment if she had won a medal at the Games.
“I love her, and when she lost the match (to Marton), she got very sad... I wrote on the paper in the moment. If she had won, no, I would have waited for the moment [to propose],” Saucedo said.
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