Meet the 'Olympic Muffin Man' Who 'Cannot Stop' Eating the Viral Chocolate Muffins in the Dining Hall

Norwegian swimmer Henrik Christiansen is making waves at the 2024 Paris Olympics – and not just because of his performances in the pool.

The three-time Olympian, who competes in the men’s 800m and 1500m freestyle events, posted a series of hilarious TikToks about his favorite food in the Olympic Village cafeteria: chocolate chip muffins.

In one of the clips, which has had more than 4.4 million views, the screen shows a teammate saying: “I feel like you’re only here for the chocolate muffins,” before panning the camera to show Christiansen, 27, sloppily devouring one chocolate muffin. “What?” he answers.

In another TikTok, Christiansen is seen eating muffins from a secret drawer next to her bed with her nose covered in chocolate. And in the third video he says: “I HEREBY DECLARE MYSELF THE OLYMPIC MUFFIN MAN.”

“I literally can’t stop,” he added in the comments.

Norwegian swimmer Henrik Christiansen called himself the “Muffin Man” of the Olympic Village.

Henrik Christiansen/TikTok

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The swimmer is not alone in his love for treats that have a center of gooey melted chocolate and chocolate chips. PEOPLE hung out with Stephen Nedoroscik, Brody Malone and Asher Hong — members of the bronze medal-winning USA Men’s Gymnastics Team — and echoed Christiansen’s love of treats.

“I had my first one this morning … oh my god, they’re really good,” says Malone, 24. “They’re so gooey.”

The USA men’s gymnastics team after winning the bronze medal in Paris.

Sheng Jiapeng/China News Service/VCG via Getty

“And there’s that chocolate filling in the middle,” added Nedoroscik, 25, a pommel horse expert whose medal-winning performance also went viral. “It’s delicious.”

Filipina-American gymnast Aleah Finnegan, who is competing for Team Philippines in Paris, gave her own review on TikTok.

“I understand the hype of these chocolate muffins in the village,” Finnegan, 21, wrote in a video showing her reaction after biting into a muffin. “They are as good as ???” she captioned the video.

The Olympic Village cafeteria has six different sections – including French, World, Halal and Asian “restaurants” – a boulangerie and several grab-and-go options to feed the 15,000 athletes staying at the complex.

Before the games officially began, Finnegan posted her reaction to one of her meals in the Village cafeteria.

Dining room of the Olympic Village in Sant Denis.

Zhao Wenyu/China News Service/VCG via Getty

“It’s pretty good, like good food, just… you could probably spice it up a bit,” she said in a July 22 TikTok. “Just personal preference. That is me.”

Team USA fencers Lee Kiefer and Gerek Meinhardt, who run a joint TikTok account under the username @oldmarriedolympians, gave a look at the extensive breakfast food options inside the “world” station, including fresh fruit, different yogurts and dairy products, hot food such as pancakes, waffles and eggs with a selection of bakery products.

Medical student Lee Kiefer won Team USA’s first fencing gold medal in individual foil

The food is delivered by the French company Sodexo Live!. It aims to provide athletes with a wide range of international options, be as sustainable as possible (food products must originate in France) and give visiting competitors a taste of French cuisine, according to Olympic officials.

“We put a special focus on French recipes,” said Carole Galissant, nutritionist for Sodexo Live! The New York Times. “Blanquette de veau, lemon cake, Paris-Brest.”

To help improve the cuisine, the Games organizers enlisted three respected French chefs: Akrame Benallal, Amandine Chaignot and Alexandre Mazzia.

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Chaignot, who runs several acclaimed Parisian restaurants, spoke about one of her recipes, based on the classic French croissant, for athletes at a media event in April.

“I wanted the recipe I proposed to be representative of the French terroir, but I also wanted athletes to enjoy it,” she told The Associated Press. “It was very obvious to me that I had to make a croissant that I could twist. So you have some artichoke puree, a poached egg, some truffle and some cheese. It’s both vegetarian and still sweet.”

To find out more about all the Olympic and Paralympic hopefuls, come to people.com and check out the live coverage before, during and after the games. And sign up for Going for Gold, our Olympic newsletter, to deliver the biggest stories from the Games straight to your inbox. Watch the Paris Olympics and Paralympics starting July 26 on NBC and Peacock.

Categories: Trends
Source: HIS Education