Third time’s the charm! After previously placing 13th overall in both the Vancouver and Sochi Olympics, luger Chris Mazdzer became the first U.S. men’s singles luge medalist ever on Sunday, February 11. The 29-year-old athlete isn’t just making headlines for taking home a silver medal for his historic performance, however. He became an internet sensation overnight as photos of his biggest fans – girlfriend Mara Marian and sisters, Kate and Sara – went viral.
Despite the frigid temperatures in PyeongChang, South Korea, Mazdzer’s sisters and girlfriend donned American flag sports bras and face paint as they held up giant cardboard cutouts of Chris Mazdzer’s face.
Marian took to Instagram to express her excitement over her boyfriend’s win: “WHEN YOUR MAN WINS A SILVER MEDAL AT THE OLYMPICS!” she captioned the photo cheering on the sidelines.
Mazdzer previously opened up about his dating life in an exclusive interview with Us Weekly.
“I told myself I do not want a long distance relationship, but I met someone this summer and it’s like dammit – ‘I would have a long distance relationship with you,’” the Massachusetts native told Us in September 2017. “When you do the long distance relationships, as an athlete, it’s really hard. But, it’s kind of nice because if you have a layover in San Francisco, I’m just choosing not to get on the plane and she’s going to fly in and we’re going to get dinner. So there are ways to meet up around the world but it’s a challenging life, you have to make it work.”
When asked if Marian is an athlete too, he said: “No. It’s actually really nice. [We’re] totally different people and we just do our own thing. Plenty of personal time!”
To learn more about Mazdzer, visit teamusa.org.
