Black Ferns star Tyla's love story 'WE WERE MATCHED BY OUR MUMS!'

The Olympic gold medallist and her sporty and her sporty fiancé confess their families had a helping hand in their romantic engagement

- Fiona Fraser

It's a dream of rugby star Tyla Nathan-Wong's to run onto the field at the next Olympics in 2024 wearing a jersey that reads "King" on the back.

"I've been a Nathan-Wong throughout the 10 years I've played my sport," explains the beautiful Black Fern, glancing at her new fiancé Tupuria King. "It would be cool to represent his whānau next time."

In fact, it was sport that first brought Tokyo gold medallist Tyla and handsome waka ama champion Tupu together - with a little intervention from their enthusiastic mums!

Tyla, 27, laughs as she recalls attending an awards ceremony in 2019 with her parents, who were seated at a table with another family, the Kings.

"We were just chatting away, having a nice time," she tells Woman's Day. "At some point, we talked about how their son Tupu couldn't be there as he was competing in Hawaii."

Unbeknownst to Tyla - and certainly to Tupu, 28, who took out the Te Tai Tokorau Maori Male Sports Award that year - the two proud mothers were busily making a match, with Tupu's mum Nyree piquing Tyla's interest by telling her all about his paddling career and "Train Like A King" coaching programme.

"When I got home, I looked him up on Instagram and gave him a follow," Tyla grins cheekily. Meanwhile, chatting to her son in Hawaii, Nyree casually mentioned meeting the Nathan-Wong family and how special Tyla seemed.

"So I sent her a message," Tupu admits shyly. He wrote, "Here I was wondering why a superstar like you was following someone like me... until I had a phone call with my mum. So, kia ora!"