United States-born Chinese figure skater Zhu Yi breaks down into tears at the Winter Olympics after what some consider an "epic fail" of a performance, prompting a backlash on social media.
The athlete experienced a rough first showing at the global even on Monday after falling twice during the final event in the team competition. Zhu was born in California and renounced her American citizenship to represent China in 2018.
Chinese Criticism
The Olympian began her performance in the free event quite well, landing both her first two jumps but flopped on her third attempt. While trying to regain herself, she fell on her second attempt.
When the athlete finished her performance, she broke down in tears and received immediate backlash and criticism from Chinese residents on the social media platform Weibo the day after her performance. On her opening jump, the 19-year-old stumbled again, resulting in a last-place finish.
As per Fox News, Zhu's performance knocked China out of third to fifth place in the team event at the Winter Olympics. Many residents mocked the figure skater for her "failure" and questioned why she was selected over other athletes they believed would have done better.
The young athlete, who previously held the name Beverly Zu, faced the phrase "Zhu Yi has fallen," which went viral on social media. The trending hashtag was viewed more than 200 million times before being censored on Sunday evening.
In an interview after her performance, Zhu said that she was very upset and a little embarrassed with what she showed the world. The inconsolable teenager could be heard with a quivering voice. She said she had to face a lot of pressure because of how controversial her selection was in the ladies' singles.
One of the comments that criticized Zhu said that her performance was such a "disgrace" while others mocked her for not being able to speak fluent Chinese. One social media user said the Olympian should first learn the language before talking about patriotism, Blaze Media reported.
Trending on Social Media
Another user added that Zhu's performance was ridiculous and that she was no better than an amateur figure skater. Many others reportedly criticized the athlete for her privileged background and family ties. Zhu's father, Zhu Songchun, is a renowned artificial intelligence scientist who joined Peking University in Beijing in 2020.
The teenager's backlash comes in sharp contrast to California-born Eileen Gu, a freestyle skiing prodigy who is also representing China at the Winter Olympics. The younger athlete has successfully charmed the Chinese public by speaking fluent Mandarin and her knowledge of Chinese culture.
Gu is known for growing up spending summer holidays in Beijing and has become China's unofficial face for the global event. She was featured heavily in state media coverage as authorities promoted winter sports. She was also part of many advertisements for Chinese brands.
According to CNN, the young prodigy made her Olympic debut in the women's Freeski big air qualifications on Monday morning. She has also received 1.9 million followers on Weibo, where the hashtag "Eileen Gu's first show" became trending on Sunday night after garnering more than 300 million views.
