There have been countless standout moments from the Paris Olympics so far — from Céline Dion’s incredible performance at the opening ceremony to Team GB winning gold medals in rowing and trampoline.
But there’s also been one majorly unexpected highlight for some sports fans, and it’s all thanks to Norwegian distance swimmer Henrik Christiansen.
The 27-year-old might not take home the gold, but he certainly has won the people’s hearts thanks to a series of hilarious TikToks about a snack at the Olympic Village.
The Village has previously hit headlines for its food, as Andy Anson, the British Olympic Association’s chief executive, branded the meals ‘inadequate’. However, Henrik claims there’s one item that’s definitely worth eating, and he’s even rated it an 11/10.
No, it’s not a croissant or pain au chocolat that the sports star has fallen for — it’s a double chocolate muffin, with large chocolate chips and a gooey chocolate filling.
Henrik has gone viral online after sharing videos of himself eating the muffins, which he says are ‘insane’ and ‘the single greatest thing about the Olympic Village.’
Many of the clips show him looking lovingly at the snack, with chocolate smeared all over his face. In one video, a fellow athlete shares a look at the inside of Henrik’s bedside table, and the drawer is just full of muffins.
‘Guys, I think I have a problem,’ the swimmer jokes in the caption.
As such, he’s become known as the official ‘Muffin Man’ of the Olympics and he doesn’t seem to be particularly upset about the title — in fact, he’s embraced it.
Those watching his videos are desperate to know absolutely everything they can about the muffins, with some asking for a documentary to be made about them. Others are just in full support of the relationship between the man and the muffins.
‘I hope whoever makes these muffins sponsors you bc never have I so badly wanted a muffin before in my life,’ commented @verticalsea.
Similarly @xstormzcx said: ‘The only thing I want right now is to sit in the olympic village and share a tea and a Muffin with this guy while we gossip about the Olympics.’
@t0tally_not_averie wrote: ‘Petition to have him in the next Shrek movie as the muffin man.’
And @valkyriefox.jpr shared: ‘No better love story than a man and his muffins.’
Others wanted to know how to make the muffins, and said they’d be spending some time trying to recreate them at home. Chefs have even been sharing their own recipes for ‘dupes’.
The muffins at the Olympic Village are believed to be produced by French producer Coup de Pates.
A spokesperson for Sodexo Live, who are handling the catering at the Olympic Village, told People that the muffins are called ‘Maxi Muffin Chocolat Intense’ and they are presented in a tulip cup.
They didn’t share the recipe, but they said: ‘It is filled and topped with dark chocolate, featuring chunks of dark chocolate and milk chocolate.
‘This muffin is served daily at the main athletes’ restaurant and at the six takeaway food areas within the Village.’
And the sweet treat isn’t just beloved by Henrik, as the spokesperson went on to say that a whopping 2,000 of the muffins are being consumed every day at the Olympics. It’s thought that up to 100,000 of them will be served across the duration of the Olympics and Paralympics this year.
A number of other Olympic athletes have also become big fans of the muffins and jumped on the TikTok trend.
Singaporean swimmer Quah Jing Wen shared a TikTok of herself trying the chocolate treat and said it was ‘fire’. While Bronze rugby medalist Ari Ramsey confessed that she didn’t like chocolate but thought the muffin was ‘so moist and delicious’.
This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.