Beijing, Europe Brief News – US-born athlete Skater Zhu Yi has come under attack after she fell in the Beijing Winter Olympics.
#ZhuYiFellOver was trending in China and many other countries.
The hashtag “Zhu Yi Fell Over” was viewed over 230 million times on Chinese social media platform Weibo.
Many users complained that an athlete born in America had taken the place of someone from China competing in the Beijing Winter Olympics.
“I’m upset and a little embarrassed,” Zhu said after her falls. “I felt a lot of pressure because I know everybody in China was surprised with the selection for ladies’ singles. And I just really wanted to show them what I can do, but unfortunately I didn’t.”
She added: “I just felt very sad that I couldn’t do better and help (China) during this team event but I’m very grateful to have them, and have them cheering for me.”
Skater Zhu Yi was the first to compete on the second day of the figure skating team event. She was greeted with loud cheers from a mostly Chinese audience as she skated onto the rink.
But Zhu quickly fell and crashed into a wall in her opening combination while skating to the Rolling Stones’ “Paint It Black.”
She also missed another jump later in the program and finished with the lowest score. Kamila Valieva, who placed at the top for Russia, scored 90.18.
Because of Zhu’s performance, China slipped from third place to fifth in the team competition, just high enough to progress to the next round.
Diplomatic Boycott
The 2022 Winter Olympics kicked off amid a diplomatic boycott by the US administration over ‘ongoing genocide‘ of Uyghur population.
Several other Western nations have followed suit.
Australia, UK Canada have also joined the US in a diplomatic boycott of the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics.
The move nonetheless infuriated Beijing, which hinted at retaliation.
China has said Australia, Britain and the US will “pay the price” for boycotting February’s Winter Olympics in Beijing.
“The United States, Britain and Australia have used the Olympics platform for political manipulation,” Beijing further added.
