A video of Zhang Yihan refusing to get dressed after the women’s gymnastics qualifier on Sunday draws endearing comments from netizens.
Rising Chinese gymnastics star Zhang Yihan tugged at social media users’ heartstrings after she insisted on getting a photo with US legend Simone Biles after their set.
A video of Zhang refusing to get dressed following the Paris Olympics women’s gymnastics qualifier on Sunday has drawn endearing comments from netizens for her adorable “fangirl” behavior. Teammate Qiu Qiyuan could be seen telling Zhang she could put her coat back on after the competition ended, but Zhang declined.
“I can’t, I have to get a photo with Simone Biles,” Zhang responded, while slightly stomping her feet.
Qiu Qiyuan: We can wear our clothes now
Zhang Yihan: NO!! I want to take a picture with simone pic.twitter.com/cGTotcBKKA— nicole (@lsjricna) July 28, 2024
Nicknamed “Mini Zhang” for her petite size, the 16-year-old from Henan province is also a rising star in China’s gymnastics scene. While Zhang did not manage to catch Biles, who left to do an interview, users on Chinese social media platforms cooed at how adorable Zhang was, despite her own achievements.
“Zhang Yihan is both cute and ambitious, which makes her very likable,” one Weibo user wrote. “She could fangirl while at work, she must be so happy” another added.
Another video of Zhang reacting to Biles’ floor routine with excited clapping and gasps of awe also endeared netizens.
“Mini Zhang’s front-row seats were so worth it,” another user on Weibo said. “When you’ve got the opposing team staring at you with their mouths open, I guess you’re really the GOAT,” one user wrote on social media platform X.
Zhang scored 14.700 in asymmetric bars in Sunday’s game, ranking fifth.
Seven-time Olympic medallist Biles topped individual vault and floor qualifications at 15.300 and 14.600, respectively. Her performance drew gasps from the audience, which included Lady Gaga, Ariana Grande, Tom Cruise, American Vogue Editor-in-Chief Anna Wintour and Snoop Dogg.
Three years ago, Biles pulled out of the Tokyo team final after suffering a mental block performing mid-air skills. She lost her sense of direction during a vault attempt – a phenomenon known as the “twisties” – before eventually deciding to withdraw from the competition to protect her mental health.
The US team posted the top score of 172.296, more than five points ahead of second-best Italy’s 166.861 and third-place China, who scored 166.628.