Podium Power Couples

Day 11: Love is in the air this Valentine's Day in Beijing

Feb 14, 2022

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Today is Valentine’s Day. A day to celebrate love. The ones we love are always there to cheer us on to victory - like British Cyclists Jason and Laura Kenny who have 12 Gold Medals between them - or to pick us up when we stumble, as Norwegian Skier Aleksander Kilde and his partner Mikaela Shiffrin do for each other after disappointing results. Just to name two examples of many athletes who will have someone to warm their bed in the Olympic Village.

Madison Chock and Evan Bates. *GREGORY SHAMUS/GETTY*

Some couples sharer a close bond on the field as well, competing together as teammates. Megan Jones and Celia Quansah both played Rugby Sevens for Great Britain in Tokyo, and Dutchmen Edward Gal and Hans Peter Minderhoud contended in Equestrian in Rio. Most well known are this year’s American Ice Dancers Madison Chock and Evan Bates who have been dating for five years. All three couple finished fourth in their events. At least they have each other.

Competing with your partner must be exhilarating, but what about facing off against them? Belgium’s Kim Meylemans and Brazil’s Nicole Silveira met three years ago at a Skeleton World Cup event and are now opponents in Beijing. But nothing compares to three couples on opposite sides of the Olympics’ ~~hottest~~ coldest rivalry, USA and Canada in Women’s Hockey. The two teams have met in all but one of six Olympic finals; no other nation has captured gold. The previous two went to overtime. Julie Chu and Caroline Ouellette, Kathleen Kauth and Jayna Hefford, and Meghan Duggan and Gillian Apps all have their own ways of putting the rivalry aside, such as separate watch parties when their teams play. For Duggan and Apps, that wasn’t always possible. Duggan was on the losing side in Sochi, and had to grieve her own loss while also celebrating her wife’s win. Four years later, Apps cheered from the stands in PyeongChang as Duggan and Team USA avenged the loss. A house of Gold stands united.

Of course no discussion of Olympic couples would be be complete without mentioning the GOATS (with apologies to the Kennys): Sue Bird and Megan Rapinoe. The numbers are staggering. Bird has 5 Gold Medals, 4 WNBA Titles, and 2 NCAA Championships. No slouch herself Rapinoe boasts Gold and Bronze Medals, 2 World Cups, and a Ballon d'Or prize for the world’s best footballer. They are also feminist icons, social activists, and couple goals.