Bronze medal swimmer Fu Yuanhui / Photo: International Business Times
Brilio.net/en - Most athletes have tried to maintain a calm and collected public image during the Rio 2016 Olympics Games. Butone Chinese swimmer named Fu Yuanhui recently became a meme after the internet caught wind of her exuberant actions and quirky behavior during interviews and photoshoots.
Meet Fu Yuanhui, a 20-year-old swimmer from China. She took third place in both the semi-final and final rounds of the womens 100-meter backstroke event, earning a bronze medal for China.
Fu Yuanhui seems to also have won the cynical heart of the internet, particularly in Singapore.
It all began with herinterview afterthe womens 100-meter backstroke semi-final. She finished the race in 58.95 seconds, but did not realize it until the reporter brought it up. With a surprised reaction and a high-pitched voice, she gasped and said, 58.95?! I thought it was 59 seconds! She squealed, I was that fast?!
Her jaw dropped.
via Shanghai Expat
You were only 0.01 seconds behind the silver medalist Kathleen Baker from USA, and you were close to getting the silver medal yourself, explained the reporter. The swimmer oddly replied, Well, maybe its because my hands were too short.
Fu Yuanhui is not shy in front of the camera. While her teammates and fellow competitors graciously smiled and waved to the audience, Fu Yuanhui threw out peace signs and skipped joyfully like a child on her way to an ice cream truck!
via Mothership Singapore
She expressed more of her quirkiness when she stood on the podium, receiving the medal. Fu Yuanhui shook around, playfully pouted while showing off her medal. Although she came in third place, the camera seemed to only zoom in on her during the ceremony. She was definitely the most interesting one to watch.
via Mothership Singapore
Singapores netizens are particularly charmed by her. In an interview video posted by Mediacock, people praised her cuteness, and believed her expressions to be genuinely true to her character.
Others praised her for clinching the bronze medal. One commenter even compared her to Singapores gold medal swimmer Joseph Schooling, wondering what wouldve happened (culturally speaking) if he had acted like she did when he won.
But Fu Yuanhuis fame didnot stop there. She received more attention after another interview, in which she made a remark about her fourth place in the 400-meter relay. In the video below, the conversation went something like this:
Fu Yuanhui: I did not swim well today. I let down my teammates.
Reporter: Its okay, you performed your best. Does your stomach hurt now?
Fu Yuanhui: My period came yesterday. Im feeling very tired, and my body still feels numb. But this is not an excuse for not swimming well.
Bringing up menstruation is considered taboo among female athletes in China.
Maybe Fucan be a role model for more young people who want to speak their minds.
For thatreason, we award Fu Yuanhui the gold medal in life, that is!
Author: Tommy Prayoga via Content Collision
(brl/red)
