Olympic swimmer turns into Muffin Man
Chocolate muffins never seem to be in short supply at the Olympic Village, despite the best efforts of one particularly obsessed athlete.
The sweet treat has proved popular with a number of athletes, but the devotion of Norwegian swimmer Henrik Christiansen has seen him dubbed the Olympic Muffin Man by social media users.
After his first taste of the “insane” muffins, which feature thick chocolate chunks and a melted filling, Christiansen gave them an 11 out of 10 score.
Since then, his online persona has been dominated by his love for the muffins, with the three-time Olympian appearing to shovel down multiple muffins a day.
“They’re very rich, and I like that,” he said in an interview, as reported by The New York Times.
“Some people might find it too powerful, but they’re right up my alley.”
Some casual sports fans might be surprised by the amount of chocolatey goodness Christiansen is consuming at a time when he needs to be in peak form, but the swimmer said he was after food to increase his daily calorie intake.
“There is a lot of misconception regarding athletes and what they eat – of course, some athletes, they do sports where their weight is carefully watched and it’s a lot more important,” he said.
“On my most heavy training days, I can get up to almost 7000 calories a day.
“It’s tough to have that many calories if you’re only having salad.”
Christiansen’s chocolate muffin love affair has gained him a cult following, and multiple attempts to replicate the unknown recipe.
Even Gordon Ramsay took notice, commenting on one of Christiansen’s TikToks, “I think I need to try one now.”
Other athletes in the village are asked to take photos with fans of their athletic accomplishments, but the 27-year-old swimmer said people have asked to take photos with the “muffin guy”.
“Of course, I wish that it was because of my swimming, but this is also fun,” he said.
He will next compete in the men’s 10-kilometre marathon swim on Friday.
About 2000 chocolate muffins are being consumed daily at the Olympic Village, Sodexo Live!, the company in charge of catering this year’s Games, told People magazine.
In total, the company plans to serve 100,000 muffins throughout the Olympic and Paralympic Games.
“It is filled and topped with dark chocolate, featuring chunks of dark chocolate and milk chocolate,” a Sodexo Live! representative said.
“This muffin is served daily at the main athletes’ restaurant and at the six takeaway food areas within the village.”
So far, the company has refused to release the official recipe.
