Match Made in Paris? Fans Speculate a Budding Romance after Spotting Hans Westergaard Cheering for Elsa Arendahl
South Paris Arena was buzzing with excitement as Elsa Arendahl concluded the match with an ace, securing the spot for Norway in the quarterfinal round of the Paris Olympics. It marks two decades since Norway qualified for a spot in the last 8; the biggest and most deserving win after their short run in Tokyo. Eager to celebrate, her teammates instantly swarmed the 24 year old setter in a group hug, hauling her the hero who made it possible. But that’s not the only thing that intrigued the spectators.
Rising tennis star and first time Olympian Hans Westergaard was spotted among the crowd, just two hours after he secured himself a spot in the semi final round of the men’s singles tournament. Dressed in his tennis shorts and a light blue hoodie that matches that of Team Norway’s uniform, fans speculated that he went straight from his match to support Arendahl.
As if adding fuel to the already sparking romance rumours, fans noticed how Westergaard returned Arendahl’s heart gesture when she did that after she took a group picture with the team. Speculations began to arise after pictures of the two top athletes making the same heart gesture, and #Helsa began to trend across social media platforms.
@.thevolleyballtea: YOU CAN’T SEE THIS AND NOT WONDER IF THERE’S SOMETHING 👀 #Helsa
The post received 300K likes and 500K impressions in 12 hours.
This isn’t the first time fans speculate about a possible romance between the two athletes. Earlier this year, Arendahl was seen at the Australian Open during Westergaard’s second round match, but the rumour was quickly dismissed by Anna Arendahl, Elsa’s sister, who stated in her Instagram live that the Melbourne trip was a part of their New Year’s vacation before they work hard in their respective volleyball clubs. But that didn’t stop the fans from analysing things further.
Arendahl, who played her first year in the Italian league, was spotted with what looked like a letter H bag charm at a cafe in Verona in a blurry picture posted in March by a fan. The similarity between the bag charm and the font of Hans Westergaard’s personal logo didn’t go unnoticed, but there’s no solid evidence if the two were indeed similar.
Regardless, fans are still expressing their support towards the two athletes, wishing all the best for them. Some others dismissed the pictures and rumours as just that—mere speculations. But whether this is the beginning of a new sports power couple or just a supportive friendship, there’s no doubt that fans are invested and looking forward to how things may progress.
What do you think about that? Let us know your thoughts with #Helsa.
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Notes: HIIIII IT'S ME!!! this is my super late entry for @helsa-valentines-day event last month. but eh, better late than never. I wanted to expand it as a fanfic but I've been super busy with rl stuff, so I couldn't manage to finish it. as for the fanart, I commissioned @magentacravat and it's too good to not post, so I go with this format! Have a good day, everyone!