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Chinese gymnast Yaqin Zhou’s cute gesture during the medal ceremony at the Paris Olympics has triggered a frenzy on social media. Zhou, 18, has gone viral as she was captured in a charmingly awkward moment while her fellow winners took an obligatory bite of the medal.
Zhou bagged a silver medal in the Women’s Balance Beam, beating legends Simone Biles and Rebecca Andrade. Despite her stellar performance, a slip on the beam placed her second, with Italy’s Alice D’Amato bagging the gold. With a difference of 0.100, Manila Esposito entered the winners list bagging the bronze medal.
In a video shared on X by the handle @Madan_Chikna, one can see a snippet from the victory ceremony. As the three winners posed with their medals, the Italian winners made a gesture of taking a bite of their medals. Zhou, unaware of what was happening, was surprised, but followed suit. The winners then took a selfie before leaving the victory stand.
Watch the viral video here:
Zhou Yaqin has to be the cutest Olympic medallist so far. 🥺😍
— Godman Chikna (@Madan_Chikna) August 7, 2024
With more than 8,000 likes, the video left viewers commenting on Zhou’s innocence and relatable reaction. “Oh, her reactions are like a breath of fresh air”, commented a user. Another added, “How cute and innocent she is!!” A third wrote, “She’s adorable. All three are outstanding athletes.”
The medal-biting tradition
The victors were following the tradition of biting the medal, a tradition that dates back to 1896 when medals were made of pure gold. With gold being a malleable metal, biting the medal would leave a mark on it.
However, since 1912, the medals have been an amalgamation of silver and gold, turning this tradition futile. Despite this, the tradition continues and remains one of the most iconic poses. In an X post in 2020, Tokyo Olympics Committee wrote, “We just want to officially confirm that the Tokyo 2020 medals are not edible. Our medals are made from material recycled from electronic devices donated by the Japanese public.”
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