Olympic gold medalist proposes to his boyfriend as their ‘Love Story’ continues
Frederic Wandres, who won gold at Paris 2024, is now engaged to Lars Ligus. Taylor Swift’s hit song soundtracked their announcement. The post Olympic gold medalist proposes to his boyfriend as their ‘Love Story’ continues appeared first on Outsports.
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The only man representing “Team LGBTQ” at the Paris Olympics to win a gold medal is celebrating his engagement to his long-time boyfriend.
Frederic Wandres competed for Germany in equestrian competitions at the Games last summer, including team dressage.
Wandres, Jessica von Bredow-Werndl and Isabell Werth topped the rankings at the Palace of Versailles to seal a third consecutive German triumph in the event.
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Every country that won a medal in the team dressage event at the Paris Olympics has an out gay rider, including Germany’s Freddie Wandres.
Now the 38-year-old has been receiving more congratulations from around the world after popping the question to Lars Ligus.
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They are also partners professionally. In Paris, Ligus was the groom to Wandres and his horse Bluetooth OLD, and the newly betrothed couple live and work together at the Hof Kasselmann stables near Osnabruck in southwest Germany.
Ligus shared the happy news on Instagram, with a video showing the moment Wandres asked him if he would become his husband while they were taking a romantic stroll on holiday in Italy’s idyllic South Tyrol.
“I said yes,” wrote the 29-year-old. “Finally Mr. & Mr.”
The song he selected for the reel was “Love Story” by Taylor Swift, and specifically the lyric: “He knelt to the ground and pulled out a ring, and said, “Marry me, Juliet, you’ll never have to be alone…”
Among those posting well-wishes in the comments, which featured numerous love hearts, was Denmark’s Catherine Laudrup-Dufour, who was also on “Team LGBTQ” at the Paris Olympics and married her wife Rasmine in late 2023.
Earlier this year, Ligus spoke about his life with Wandres in a Q&A with PM-Forum magazine.
The Olympic champion and Bluetooth OLD are coming off the back of another successful summer, with Germany recapturing the team title at the European Dressage Championships.
Ligus explained how communication was fundamental to the success of the couple’s relationship.
“That’s definitely something special for me and Freddy, because we’re also life partners,” he said.
“Being able to experience everything together is, of course, extremely unique. We know each other so well that a glance is enough to understand each other.
“When we’re warming up, Freddy often just glances at me, and then I only have to nod, and he knows that it’s really good.”
Wandres was one of 20 publicly out gay and bi men who participated in the last Olympics.
Since the Games, Argentina field hockey player Nico Keenan has also got engaged to his boyfriend Rob Jetten, who will be the Netherlands’ next Prime Minister after his D66 party won the recent Dutch national elections.
The only other male medalists on “Team LGBTQ” at Paris 2024 were both representing Great Britain.
Tom Daley claimed silver alongside Noah Williams in the 10-meter platform synchro diving, while Carl Hester was part of the British dressage team that won bronze behind Wandres and co.
The Olympic gold medalist and his fiancé are not yet known to have set a date for their wedding, with Ligus saying after their engagement: “As soon as we are home, we will try to plan it.”
That will be the next chapter in a “Love Story” which began when they “met and fell in love in a horse stable on a farm,” according to Schwulissimo.
It’s the countryside courtship of our dreams!
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The post Olympic gold medalist proposes to his boyfriend as their ‘Love Story’ continues appeared first on Outsports.
