When you're stuck without a date to the school dance, you might fantasize about arriving in style with an Olympian on your arm. But for 17-year-old Melanie Olhaus, attending a school event with her Olympic crush isn't just a dream: Chad le Clos, a gold medallist swimmer from South Africa, recently accepted Olhaus's invitation to join her at an upcoming dance.
Olhaus skipped school on Tuesday morning to meet le Clos at the airport in Johannesburg on his way home from London. She held up a poster that read, "Chad, will you be my matric dance date?" and was covered with photos of the swimmer holding his gold medal. The matric dance is a farewell ball for graduating students held in South Africa, similar to the American prom.
"I didn't have a matric dance date yet and I thought, why not? He's so gorgeous!" Olhaus told Beeld, a South African newspaper.
The athlete noticed Olhaus and her poster and promised her he would be her date, barring any overseas travel or other commitments. She cried when he said yes.
Earlier this week, Jenn Baluch launched a Facebook campaign to win a date with Tim Tebow for her 20th birthday. Unfortunately, Tebow doesn't have a great track record for responding to fan date requests. When Rachel Bird, another teen, couldn't get Tim Tebow as her prom date earlier this year, she took the next best candidate, a life-size Tebow cutout.
Also this spring, high school football player Kevin McGuire diagnosed with leukemia asked Taylor Swift to be his prom date. When she couldn't attend due to scheduling conflicts, she asked McGuire to be her date at the Academy of Country Music Awards.
Which celeb would you love to take to prom? Sound off in the comments below or tweet at @HuffPostTeen!