Aug 10 – There are lots of great athletes at the Rio Olympics ― Lilly King, Michael Phelps, Simone Biles. The list goes on. But the best Olympian this time around doesn’t represent the U.S.A. She hasn’t even won a gold medal. But neither of those things matter. For there is no one as great, as funny and as instantly lovable as Fu Yuanhui.
The 20-year-old is a swimmer for the Chinese women’s team who placed third in the semi-finals of the 100m backstroke on Day 2 of the Olympics. The only thing is, she thought she placed fourth until a reporter told her otherwise. Her reaction quickly went viral in China, and it’s easy to understand why.
“58.95 seconds!? I thought it was 59 seconds!” Yuanhui said after she had earned third with a time of 58.95 seconds. “I was so fast!” Her reaction is amazing.
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Maybe you think this was a one-time thing. But no, that’s just Fu Yuanhui. She would later go on to get a bronze medal in the women’s 100 backstroke, tying with Canada’s Kylie Masse at 58.76.
Team China celebrates its gold medal during the podium ceremony for the women’s 4x100m medley relay swimming event at the 2015 FINA World Championships in Kazan on August 9, 2015. Shi Jinglin, Lu Ying, Fu YuanHui and Shen Duo competed in the event. AFP PHOTO / MARTIN BUREAU (Photo credit should read MARTIN BUREAU/AFP/Getty Images)Team China celebrates its gold medal during the podium ceremony for the women’s 4x100m medley relay swimming event at the 2015 FINA World Championships in Kazan on August 9, 2015. Shi Jinglin, Lu Ying, Fu YuanHui and Shen Duo competed in the event. AFP PHOTO / ALEXANDER NEMENOV (Photo credit should read ALEXANDER NEMENOV/AFP/Getty Images)Team China celebrates its gold medal during the podium ceremony for the women’s 4x100m medley relay swimming event at the 2015 FINA World Championships in Kazan on August 9, 2015. Shi Jinglin, Lu Ying, Fu YuanHui and Shen Duo competed in the event. AFP PHOTO / FRANCOIS XAVIER MARIT (Photo credit should read FRANCOIS XAVIER MARIT/AFP/Getty Images)
