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A Norwegian swimmer's love affair with chocolate muffins may be winning the Olympics
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Do you know the muffin man? His name is Henrik Christiansen, and he’s obsessed with the chocolate muffins at the Olympic Village.
The Norwegian swimmer, a three-time Olympian, is technically in Paris to compete in the men’s 800m and 1500m freestyle. But when he’s not chasing medals, he’s on the hunt for muffins.
In less than a week, Christiansen, 27, has posted a whopping 11 TikTok videos documenting his deepening love for the chocolate treats, which he called “the single greatest thing about the Olympic Village so far.”
The sweet story appears to have started last week before the Olympic cauldron was even lit.
Christiansen posted an early review of some dining hall foods, giving the “choccy muff” a perfect-plus rating of 11 out of 10. He went back for more the next day, posting a close-up of a gooey muffin against the romantic opening bars of Bobby Caldwell’s “What You Won’t Do For Love.”
Things quickly escalated from there, and within days, Christiansen had officially declared himself the “Olympic muffin man.”
@henrikchristians1 When bae is looking like a snack #fyp #olympics #paris2024 #olympictiktok #olympicvillage #muffins @Olympics @paris2024 ♬ original sound - mywatchhistory
Some of his other videos show him walking through the Olympic Village with multiple handfuls of muffins, enjoying the sunset with a muffin in hand (and on face) and getting caught in bed next to a drawer full of pastries.
“Guys, I think I have a problem,” he captioned that one.
One of his most viral videos, with over 1 million likes, is set to audio from the sketch show I Think You Should Leave, in which the star of a Bachelorette-style competition tells one contestant she feels he’s “only here for the zip line.”
“I feel like you’re only here for the chocolate muffin,” Norwegian swimmer Nicholas Lia tells Christiansen from across the table. Christiansen responds with a confused look on his chocolate-smeared face.
@henrikchristians1 I don’t think you guys realize how good this stuff is #fyp #zipline #olympics #paris2024 #olympictiktok #olympicvillage #muffins @Mr.Nicho ♬ original sound - I think you should leave shop
The muffin saga has caught on quickly, on social media and in real life.
TikTok commenters have called it “the best story to come out of the Olympic Village,” “the only Olympic village love story that matters” and the highlight of their day. Several have expressed concern about how Christiansen will fare when he returns to Norway, and have even called for a muffin company to sponsor him.
Muffin fever seems to be spreading across the Olympic Village.
New Zealand swimmer Lewis Clareburt posted a video with Christiansen, captioning it, “I found the official Olympic village muffin man.” A TikTok user who identified themself as an Olympic aide wrote that they were looking for the chocolate muffins “but I’m pretty sure that Norwegian swimmer stole them all.”
“You’ll never find them,” Christiansen replied. More than 53,000 people have liked his comment.
Olympians are jumping on the chocolate muffin bandwagon
Other Olympians have managed to get their hands on the elusive chocolate muffins, and are leaving similarly rave reviews.
Fans include Stephen Nedoroscik, the American pommel horse specialist and celebrity in his own right.
“There’s that filling of chocolate in the middle,” he told PEOPLE on Tuesday. “It is delicious.”
His teammate, Brody Malone, also gave high praise to the outlet: “I had my first one this morning … oh my gosh, they’re really good.”
Filipino-American gymnast Aleah Finnegan, competing for the Philippines, posted a TikTok video captioned “I understand the hype of these chocolate muffins in the village.”
And American track-and-field athlete Gabby Thomas taste-tested a muffin for a TikTok of her own on Tuesday.
“This is the best chocolate muffin I’ve ever had,” she said, chewing. “It tastes like a cupcake, it’s so moist. This is gonna be a problem.”
She rated the muffin a 9.8 out of 10 — a noticeably lower score than Christiansen gave it. But fear not, there’s a reasonable explanation.
“I’d rate it higher,” she wrote, “but they ran out when i tried to get it earlier so minus points for that.”
Naturally, viewers at home are salivating, too. They’re trying to deduce where the muffins came from, eventually prompting French catering company Coup de Pates to take credit in a LinkedIn post.
The company says its "Maxi Muffin with Intense Chocolate" is available for purchase online, but only by food service professionals. Fear not, TikTokers are already coming up with recipes to recreate them.
Now, as one commenter wrote, Christiansen may be able to bring the taste of his beloved choccy muffins home with him.
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