Cristiano Ronaldo, who was not competing in the 2024 Olympics, was surprised to be honored by Portuguese athletes during the event. On August 10, cyclists Iuri Leitao and Rui Oliveira won the gold medal in the track cycling event at the Paris Olympic Games. This feat marked Portugal’s first gold medal at this edition of the Games and the country’s first gold medal outside of athletics in Olympic history.

Portugal won a gold medal in the track cycling 🥇

There was only one way to celebrate 🥳#Paris2024 #Olympics #BBCOlympics pic.twitter.com/LQPvONfM0d

— BBC Sport (@BBCSport) August 10, 2024

After the historic win, Iuri Leitao and Rui Oliveira drew attention when they celebrated on the podium with Cristiano Ronaldo’s iconic “Siu” gesture. Rui Oliveira shared a photo of the celebration on his X account (formerly Twitter) and encouraged fans to spread the word as a way of paying tribute to their idol.

Ronaldo’s reaction was not long in coming. The Al Nassr star commented on Rui Oliveira’s post: “Congratulations, Rui,” showing his support for his countrymen. Ronaldo also took to Instagram to congratulate the Portuguese cycling team. “Very proud of these champions. Congratulations, Iuri Leitao and Rui Oliveira,” he wrote in a post to his 636 million followers.

This year, several athletes at the Olympics celebrated their victories in Ronaldo style. In the 20km race walk, Ecuadorian Brian Pintado also made the “Siu” gesture after crossing the finish line and winning the gold medal.