Argentina fencing coach, 51, proposes to protege, 36, after her loss at Tokyo Olympics

They have been together 17 years.

Belmont Lay | July 27, 2021, 03:12 PM

The coach of an Argentinian women's fencer proposed to his charge while she was conducting an interview after her loss at the Tokyo Olympics.

Just knocked out of tournament

Maria Belen Perez Maurice, 36, had just been knocked out of the Olympics final 32 on Monday, July 26, after her loss to Anna Marton of Hungary.

Her coach Lucas Guillermo Saucedo, 51, held up a sign behind her in the background.

The coach was rebuffed 11 years ago after his first marriage proposal.

The couple has been together for 17 years.

What happened

The fencer was analysing her loss in an interview with Argentinian television when Saucedo appeared on screen behind her holding a handwritten note.

It read in Spanish: “Will you marry me??? Please.”

Pérez Maurice screamed in delight and accepted.

“They told me to turn around, and he had the letter. I forgot everything. I was like: ‘Oh my God,’” she said.

“We are very happy. We are very good partners. Of course, we have fights, but we enjoy each other’s time. We love each other so much, and we want to spend our lives together. We are going to celebrate in Buenos Aires with a big barbecue.”

She added that they had discussed marriage before, but she was still surprised by the proposal.

“We love each other so much. Now we want to spend our life together,” Pérez Maurice said.

“We were talking about this, but I didn’t know.”

via

Spontaneous proposal, no ring

Saucedo said he had started to think about the proposal the night before.

This was despite him not having a ring.

The paper was passed to him from a volunteer, who ripped some from a printer.

Saucedo said he decided he would wait if Pérez Maurice made it through the rounds or propose when she lost.

“I love her, and when she lost the match she got very sad, so maybe this proposal should change her mentality,” he said.

“I wrote on the paper in the moment. If she had won, no, I would have waited for the moment.”

Fencing couple

Saucedo had represented Argentina in fencing.

He later became a coach.

The couple met through fencing.

Pérez Maurice was one of his pupils.

Saucedo first proposed in 2010 but Pérez Maurice thought she was too young to settle down.

Pérez Maurice said they often explored cities they visited while on trips to tournaments around Europe and Asia.

The couple plan to celebrate the engagement when they return to Argentina.

Top photo via