Brazil's women's rugby sevens team may have finished ninth at the Rio Olympic Games. But one of its players still scored a major victory.
Isadora Cerullo, 25, accepted a marriage proposal Monday night from her partner of two years, Marjorie Enya. She is the first player to do so at the 2016 Summer Olympics.
Enya, a 28-year-old volunteer manager at Deodoro Stadium, popped the question after Australia took home gold at the first women's rugby sevens competition in Olympic history.
With a microphone in hand, Enya delivered an emotional speech on the field after the ceremony, and received applause when the couple embraced.
"I know rugby people are amazing and they would embrace it," Enya told BBC Sport, adding, "She is the love of my life."
"The Olympic Games can look like closure but, for me, it's starting a new life with someone," Enya said. "I wanted to show people that love wins."
When it comes to marriage equality, Brazil has been ahead of the curve. Same-sex marriage has been legal in the country since 2013, when the country's National Justice Council voted 14-1 to approve it. The ruling has been appealed to the Supreme Court. Same-sex unions have been legal since 2004.
In 2011 American journalist Glenn Greenwald said he moved to Brazil because, at the time, the Defense of Marriage Act prevented his partner from obtaining a visa in the United States.
The Rio Olympics boasts over 40 out atheletes. It's a record number and a huge win for LGBT visibility, especially when compared to the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, where anti-LGBT legislation kept competitors like snowboarder Gus Kenworthy from coming out.
However, there is still progress to be made. Some activists expressed disappointment when broadcasters did not discuss the significance of Tom Daley's gay identity after the British diver won a bronze medal Monday alongside Dan Goodfellow in the synchronized 10-meter platform.
