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Who is Henrik Christiansen, the 2024 Paris Olympics "Muffin Man"?
The Norwegian swimmer's "passionate" affair with an Olympic Village treat is the love story you didn't know you needed.
Make way for Henrik Christiansen, the Olympian making a name for himself, not just for his athletic prowess, but for his dedication to scrumptious chocolatey goodness.
The 27-year-old Norwegian swimmer, now competing in his third Olympics at the 2024 Summer Games in Paris, is all the rage since falling head over heels in love with the chocolate muffins found at the Olympic Village restaurant. Millions are flocking to the athlete’s TikTok page, now seemingly devoted to his new-found obsession, and we can’t look away.
“I HEREBY DECLARE MYSELF AS THE OLYMPIC MUFFIN MAN,” he said in a recent post as he lip-synced the words to a scene from the 2001 animated film Shrek. He asked, ‘Do you know the muffin man?’ responding with the muffin in hand and a face full of chocolate.
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Henrik Christiansen’s hilarious muffin adventures
It began when Christiansen toured the Olympic Village one week earlier and rated the food, giving the “insane” chocolate muffin an 11 out of 10, spurring a series of videos devoted to the baked good. The next day, against the tune of “What You Won’t Do For Love” by Bobby Caldwell, Christiansen gave the muffin a well-earned close-up for his 215,000 followers, calling it “the greatest thing about the Olympic Village so far.”
His love for the dessert, comprising chunky chocolate chips and a gooey center, is as unending as his social media posts.
In a Friday, July 25, 2024, video, Christiansen bit his lip when looking longingly at a half-eaten muffin, cutting back and forth between his chocolate-covered face and the object of his desire. Fellow swimmer Nicholas Lia joined in on Christiansen’s antics the next day when — over a sound clip — Lia told Christiansen, “I feel like you’re only here for the muffin.”
Christiansen cluelessly looked up from eating the now-infamous delicacy.
On Sunday, July 28, 2024, Christiansen was filmed strutting down the streets of Paris with two muffins in each hand. By Monday, he admitted he had “a problem” in a rib-tickling clip where the cameraman entered his room, prompting Christiansen's attempts to hide his sinful muffin addiction and fall out of bed while trying to keep the cameraman away.
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It was “yet another beautiful day” when the gold medal hopeful and his treat watched a romantic sunrise, ending with Christiansen wiping chocolate from his face. Then, on Wednesday, July 31, 2024, he playfully swung his legs while lying prone and gazed upon the confection. For added effect, he tucked his hair behind his ears.
“When bae is looking like a snack,” he captioned in the post that has since garnered more than 4 million views.
He “addressed the allegations” in a follow-up video.
“First of all, I just want to apologize to the muffin,” Christiansen said. “I know our relationship over the past few days has been really passionate, and I’m truly sorry. I promise.”
The clip cuts to Christiansen being bound by duct tape at the mercies of the dessert.
His new love interest “reigned supreme” against the French classic pain au chocolat — Christiansen’s hair blowing in the wind was the perfect touch. In a Thursday, August 1, 2024, post, he referred to Olympian Jon Joentvedt as “The Cookie Man,” naming him the “mortal enemy.”
More videos are expected as the 2024 Summer Games and Christiansen’s love story continue.
Who else loves the chocolate muffin?
Christensen isn’t the only one raving about the Olympic Village snack. Lia got in on the action, as seen in a Thursday, Aug. 1, 2024, TikTok video.
“After watching Henrik Christiansen eat chocolate muffins all week, it was finally my turn!” Lia wrote with a heart-eyes emoji. “This has got to be the sexiest muffin out there.”
Filipino-American Aleah Finnegan, currently representing the Philippines gymnastics Team, said she also understood “the hype.” U.S. gold medal-winning fencer Lee Kiefer also gave the pastry five out of five stars, as previously reported.
U.S. gymnast Brody Malone told People.com that he was all about the muffin, too.
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“I had my first one this morning … oh my gosh, they’re really good,” Malone said. “They’re so gooey.”
“And there’s that filling of chocolate in the middle,” pummel horse gymnast Stephen Nedoroscik chimed in. “It is delicious.”
What to know about Henrik Christiansen
The lovestruck swimmer makes his third Olympic appearance in Paris, having made his debut at the Rio de Janeiro Games in 2016 when he was 19 years old, according to his Olympic profile. There, he placed eighth in the 1,500-meter freestyle, 40th in the 200-meter, and 17th in the 400-meter.
Christiansen participated in the 2020 Tokyo Games but did not place.
His many accolades include one silver and two bronze medals in the 2014 European Championships when he was still a teen; he won bronze in the Junior Olympics that same year. He went on to win more silver at the E.C.s, including in 2016 and 2018, and another silver medal at the 2019 World Championships, according to Swim Swam, a news site covering competitive swimming.
In Paris, he has already swum for the men’s 800-meter freestyle and will compete again for the 1,500-meter on August 3, 2024.
Christiansen’s whirlwind romance continues to draw in more fans, which might not be so surprising since he opted to put his passion for theater on the back burner to follow his calling in sports, as noted in Swim Swam.
He and the chocolate muffin have yet to set a date.
