Olympic Muffin Man Henrik Christiansen’s humorous warning to fans before swimming in the Seine

Norwegian swimmer Henrik Christiansen, known for his gold medal-worthy food reviews from the Olympic Village, recently added a humorous twist to his swimming endeavors at the Paris Olympics. Christiansen, 27, who is competing in his third Olympic Games, shared a video on August 7 with a playful warning to his fans: "Guys, if I don’t survive this, tell my fans I love them."

The video, posted on social media, shows Christiansen lip-syncing to a popular trend, humorously depicting the challenging conditions of swimming in the Seine. "I’m not ashamed to admit it. It’s hell in there. It’s horror. You have to be a certain type of person to survive," he lip-synced, using a quote originally by television personality Gemma Collins.

Christiansen’s post follows recent concerns about the safety of the Seine’s water quality. Ahead of the Games, Paris invested $1.5 billion to clean up the river, but NBC News reported that water quality measurements showed unsafe levels of fecal bacteria at Pont Alexandre III, where swimming events begin. Despite this, events proceeded, although some athletes reported illnesses after swimming in the river.

Nicknamed "The Olympic Muffin Man," Christiansen has become popular for his enthusiastic reviews of Olympic Village pastries. On July 25, he declared himself the "Muffin Man" on TikTok, lip-syncing to a scene from the animated film "Shrek." He gave the bakery’s “choccy muffin” an 11/10 rating, describing it as “insane.”

In an interview with TODAY.com, Christiansen mentioned his high caloric intake, stating, “I typically need to eat around 4,000 calories a day,” though he humorously noted that he hadn’t kept track of all the muffins he had consumed. French catering company Coup de Pates, the supplier of the muffins, confirmed their involvement via LinkedIn.

While Christiansen has yet to win a medal at these Games, his charm and humor have won over many fans, making him a standout personality both in and out of the pool.