Payton Otterdahl fell just short of medaling at the Paris Olympics , but the Team USA shot putter secured a much more meaningful victory while in the “ City of Love .”
On Sunday, Otterdahl revealed that he got engaged to his girlfriend Maddy Nilles beneath the Eiffel Tower. Taking to Instagram, the U.S. Olympian shared a series of photos from the heartwarming moment, captioning the post: "Meanwhile, in the City of Love... I love you forever, Maddy Nilles!"
In the collection of images, Otterdahl can be seen getting down on one knee and popping the question to an unsuspecting Nilles. The couple then embrace before sharing several kisses in front of the historic landmark.
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Nilles - who actively serves as an assistant track and field coach at Nebraska after competing as a thrower at North Dakota State - additionally shared the post on her Instagram Stories, writing: “Je vous aime (I LOVE YOU).”
Fans online swiftly took to the comment section to congratulate the soon-to-be husband and wife. “Congrats you guys!!! We love you both!!!” one Instagram user wrote, with another adding: “You’re joking!!!! This is the best news!!! A legendary weekend for you guys. Congrats, and cheers!”
One day before the touching proposal, Otterdahl made his second appearance at the Olympics, placing fourth in the men’s shot put final with a throw of 22.03 meters. Back in 2021, he finished 10th at the Tokyo Games.
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Team USA nearly accomplished a 1-2-3 sweep on the podium, with Americans Ryan Crouser and Joe Kovacs earning gold and silver with throws of 22.90 meters and 22.15 meters, respectively. But Jamaica's Rajindra Campbell made sure that the U.S. didn’t accomplish the feat, narrowly edging out Otterdahl by 0.88 meters for bronze.
Discussing his finish with TeamUSA.com , Otterdahl said: “That’s just the reality of fourth place - it doesn’t feel good. I’m not pleased with the performance, but it is what it is. I wish we could have made it a sweep - we were close, but not close enough.”
Once the sting of missing out on the podium died down, Otterdahl took to social media to congratulate Crouser and Kovacs on their strong performances. "Fourth in the world! It stings to have been so close to earning a medal for the USA, but I am proud nonetheless," the 28-year-old began.
"The furthest Olympic 4th place ever. Congratulations to my fellow competitors. It’s always an honor competing among such great men. Thank you to my friends, family, and coach for the support this year. It means the world to me.
"The season is not done yet, I still have a handful of competitions at the end of the month. I hope I earn the opportunity to represent the USA again in the future. Until then, the (P and Train emojis) keeps on rolling."
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