Sep 6
Out Paralympics Triathlete Proposes to Her Girlfriend as She Crosses the Finish Line
Kilian Melloy READ TIME: 2 MIN.
It was a marriage proposal for the ages as Brenda Osnaya Alvarez, a triathlete competing at the Paramympics in Paris, celebrated finishing her race by popping the question to her girlfriend.
"The Team Mexico paralympian held up a sign reading, '¿Te quieres casar conmigo?' ('Will you marry me?') as she crossed the finish line in Paris Monday," GoMag reported.
"Osnaya's girlfriend, Jessie González, who is also her coach, was quick to say yes," the outlet added. "The two were pictured smiling together by the finish line of the PTWC triathlon at the Pont Alexandre III."
GoMag said that "31-year-old Osnaya is a historic para-athlete in Mexico. She became the first Mexican woman to compete in the para triathalon in the 2020 Tokyo Paralympics, where she finished fifth."
The bravura proposal took Instagram by storm as various outlets and LGBTQ+ advocacy groups shared the moment on their Instagram accounts.
"What an incredible moment! 🌟" the lgbtqsanander account raved. "Brenda Osnaya, the talented Mexican paratriathlete, not only shined at the Paralympic Games, but also lived one of the most special moments of her life: her marriage proposal! In the city of love 💍🗼🇳🇱✨".
"What a way to cross the finish line ! 🥹" the paralympics account posted, before adding: "¡Qué viva el amor! ❤️"
The proposal, and its acceptance, brightened what might have been an occasion overshadowed by Osnaya's disqualification (even though she came in fourth) "for not fulfilling penalties," GoMag said.
"She received two ten-second penalties," the article explained, "one for blocking and one for being pushed by the handler past the white line."
Osnaya said she didn't even know about the latter penalty at the time, and told Conade that "There was misinformation and confusion over the two penalties and I felt the second penalty was unfair," GoMag detailed.
Still, Osnaya chose to focus on the positive: "I was happy because I knew I had already achieved my goal of being in the top five. But asking my partner to marry me makes me happy, too."
Congratulations to the happy couple!
Kilian Melloy serves as EDGE Media Network's Associate Arts Editor and Staff Contributor. His professional memberships include the National Lesbian & Gay Journalists Association, the Boston Online Film Critics Association, The Gay and Lesbian Entertainment Critics Association, and the Boston Theater Critics Association's Elliot Norton Awards Committee.
