Nastia Liukin And Detroit Lions Star Sam Martin Are An Item — And We're Here For It
Congratulations are in order for the new couple!
Written on Jul 16, 2019
Getty Love is a beautiful thing, and it's especially beautiful when beautiful people are in love with other beautiful people. Such is the case with an Olympic gold medal-winning gymnast and her NFL baller boo. Who is Nastia Liukin's boyfriend?
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1. She said she loves him despite knowing nothing about the sport he plays.
According to People Magazine, Nastia Liukin says she knows "nothing" about the sport that Sam Martin plays, but she loves him regardless.
"I love it because I feel like I know nothing about football and I told him that right from the beginning. I had no idea. And he was trying to explain a play to me once and I guess I was just staring off into space and he was like, ‘Wow you really don’t know anything.'” I was like, ‘No,'” she told the outlet exclusively.
Nastia Liukin Hits ESPYS Red Carpet with New Boyfriend Sam Martin a Year After Ending Engagement https://t.co/G4cWfXQZCU via People Magazine pic.twitter.com/3MwfGPiZAs
— GymCastic (@GymCastic) July 11, 2019
Nastia Liukin and Sam Martin are an item!
2. Nastia Liukin started dating Sam Martin a year after she'd called off her engagement.
According to a different report for People Magazine, the gymnast and the NFL star got together about a year after Liukin called off her engagement. The outlet further reported that Liukin and Martin have been together since earlier this year.
"Liukin and Martin’s relationship came not long after the athlete ended her engagement to Matt Lombardi. “They have mutually and amicably ended their relationship,” a rep for Liukin confirmed to People in November 2018, adding that they split for good over the summer last year," they reported, adding that Lombardi and Liukin were set to wed in June 2017, but called off their wedding because of "their careers."
Nastia Liukin 'Loves' Dating NFL Player Sam Martin Despite Knowing 'Nothing' About Football https://t.co/47uF3TPOo8
— People (@people) July 12, 2019
Nastia Liukin and Sam Martin have been together since earlier this year.
3. They spent the Fourth of July together...and documented their love for Instagram.
According to the Daily Mail, prior to going public with their relationship at this year's ESPY Awards, Nastia Liukin and Sam Martin documented their love for one another with shared Instagram posts.
"This was not the first time the couple has shared pictures together publicly for their followers, though, as they have been pictured together since March. In March, Nastia and Sam made their relationship Instagram official when they visited Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, and the Maldives for a romantic vacation away from the States," the outlet reported.
The 36 most iconic female athletes of the past century. Larissa Latynina, Nadia Comaneci, Mary Lou Retton, Nastia Liukin, Aly Raisman, and Simone Biles made this list. https://t.co/ODB3sEPAKY via @businessinsider
— Cordelia Price (@CordeliaGymFan) July 13, 2019
Nastia Liukin is considered one of the most iconic female athletes of the past century.
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4. But Nastia Liukin was recently voted one of the "worst dressed" celebrities on the ESPYs red carpet.
Footwear News recently conducted a poll, in which they asked their readers to vote for the worst dressed celebrities on the ESPYs red carpet. And Nastia Liukin, unfortunately, made that list.
"Gymnast Nastia Liukin wore a shiny black mini dress with puff sleeves and black ankle-strap sandals. While LBDs are a red carpet classic, Liukin’s had Twitter divided. “Not a fan of Nastia’s dress. #ESPYS,” @melissaaax13 commented," according to the outlet. For what it's worth, Ciara, Odell Beckham Jr., and Von Miller also made that list.
We're definitely stealing @NastiaLiukin's braided look! https://t.co/DpPFI8oZmI
— POPSUGAR Beauty (@POPSUGARBeauty) July 13, 2019
Some people weren't a fan of Nastia Liukin's red carpet look at the ESPYs.
5. Sam Martin is well-paid thanks to his role as a punter with the Detroit Lions.
According to the Pride of Detroit sports blog, Sam Martin is currently under a four-year, $13.6 million contract with the Detroit Lions. However, there are some people who think that he's not a good investment, especially since his performance on the field hasn't been the same since he got hurt.
"Martin remained healthy through all sixteen games this season, but it wasn’t without caveat. Martin wasn’t his old self, and his 44.7-yard punting average was a far cry from his 2016 average of 48.5 yards that earned him his hefty contract. It was hard to tell whether or not that was entirely his fault. While Martin definitely blasted the ball a lot better in some games compared to others, the Lions had significant struggles in coverage even when Martin hit balls with solid distance and hang time. There has been talk that Martin hasn’t been the same since the injury, but the punting struggles in 2018 may not necessarily be on the punter. Only time will tell," reports the outlet.
Even Detroit Lions punter Sam Martin can't avoid Michigan's first snowfall of the year, shoveling the field at Allen Park during practice before heading to Chicago to battle the Bears on Sunday. Story and pics at https://t.co/AC1ufQRTmP. pic.twitter.com/FMw5ZGtob0
— Daniel Mears (@MearsDaniel) November 9, 2018
Sam Martin is #6 on the Detroit Lions roster.
6. Even though he's been injured, Sam Martin promised to do his best on the field.
In a recent conversation with the Detroit Free Press, Sam Martin said that while he's well aware that he's not been in peak form, he promises to do his best going forward.
"I had a really good offseason of preparation coming into here, so I feel good. Can always be better, though. In the kicking game you can never be perfect, so I’m just constantly chasing that and just being the best Sam I can be, and that’s kind of where I’m at right now is just every day getting better,” he told the outlet.
Congratulations are in order for the happy couple, then!
Detroit Lions' Sam Martin 'still alive,' availability for Week 1 uncertain https://t.co/gB19dToopa pic.twitter.com/OqiIFKeq1Y
— Detroit Free Press (@freep) August 23, 2017
Sam Martin promised to do better on the field going forward.
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Bernadette Giacomazzo is an editor, writer, and photographer whose work has appeared in People, Teen Vogue, Us Weekly, The Source, XXL, HipHopDX, The Los Angeles Times, The New York Post, and more. She is also the author of The Uprising series. For more information about Bernadette Giacomazzo, click here.