Chinese swimmer Fu Yuanhui instantly becomes an Internet sensation for her rare candor as netizens pay tribute to her one-of-a-kind personality that was highlighted during the 2016 Rio Olympic Games.
Fu got the attention of many Chinese netizens as well as others who witnessed her downright honesty and unfiltered moments during the 2016 Rio Olympics especially when she admitted that she had been on her period when she swam the 4x100-meter medley relay on Sunday, per BBC News.
Prior to that, NBC Olympics' official website also took notice of her optimism and positivity that has been very rare in such a competitive environment.
Now, Internet users in China are paying tribute to Fu not only for representing their country in the biggest sporting event in the world but also for reminding people of one important characteristic that should be maintained by the new generation: being true to one's self.
Who is Fu?
As a 20-year-olf Chinese athlete, many stereotyped Fu as an uptight, focused-on-winning kind of girl.
Unfortunately for them, the Chinese bronze medalist is far from being that kind of person as she is without a doubt a person who can brighten and lighten up a nerve-wrecking competition.
The NBC Olympics first noticed Fu's unorthodox behavior during the medal ceremony for the 100-meter backstroke where she came in third and bagged a bronze medal for her country.
At the time, Fu was noticeably happy even if she did not finish first and even did a victory lap, saying that she was happy at how she performed.
"I want to tell myself that ... your perseverance and efforts in the past have not been in vain. Though I didn't win first place, I have already surpassed myself," she explained.
Because of her rare candor and candid expressions, she became one of China's Rio Olympics heroes.
Netizens Pay Tribute
Fu's attitude and honest self-confidence inspired many Chinese youth who expressed their admiration for the Olympian over the social media.
Talking to the Global Times, 24-year-old Malaysian vlogger Amelia Lim admitted that she was hesitant at first to create a parody of an Olympics athlete because she believed they were all serious and thus, boring to imitate.
But her opinion changed when she saw a video of Fu whose animated facial expressions and quirky gestures can quickly lift up any viewer's spirit.
"My impression of athletes is that they want gold medals so badly that they are almost trained to death to prepare for Olympics. But this time Fu taught me an athlete under a strict training regime and excessive pressure can also be confident and happy, because she had tried her best and enjoyed the game," Lim said.
Another parody vlogger known online as "Baiyan Xiansheng" explained that Fu has a rare kind of charm that lets foreigners understand that Chinese athletes also deserve respect.
"Everyone knows that our athletes used to be trained in a military way, and their images are symbols of China. So most of them just seemed to lack personal characteristics and freedom to express themselves. But now, they are changing," the vlogger stated.