The Olympics’ viral breakout stars, from Kim Ye-Ji to Zhou Yaqin

Drawing over 300,000 spectators, the 2024 Paris Olympics stood in stark contrast to the subdued 2021 Tokyo Games held amid the height of the Covid-19 crisis. And with both in-person and at-home viewership up (the opening ceremony reportedly attracted a US TV audience of 28.6 million viewers on NBC and the Peacock streaming service, the highest audience since London 12 years ago, according to the network), it’s no surprise that the Games have been making noise online. The viral moments have been arriving en masse, stoking the internet into a sports-fueled frenzy. Unprecedented virality outweighed orchestrated marketing efforts this year. From Turkish shooter Yusuf Dikeç and China’s historic tennis triumph, to ‘Pommel-horse’ guy, organic online buzz has birthed a new wave of famous faces. Brands have no doubt been watching. Brimming with commercial value, these new personalities are poised to ink lucrative deals post-Olympics. With the Games culminating last night in a star-studded closing ceremony, Jing Daily rounds up the standout viral moments from the past two weeks. ‘Pommel-horse guy’ Arguably the most meme-ified athlete of the Games, American gymnast Stephen Nedoroscik earned himself the global nickname of “pommel-horse guy” after being filmed sitting on the sidelines with his eyes closed, before rousing the crowd with his near-perfect pommel-horse performance on July 29. The breakout star has earned Internet fame with his nerdy looks, meditative expression, ritual of solving a Rubix-cube pre-routine, and nimble athleticism – not to mention becoming one of the most popular memes of online culture right now. On TikTok, posts for “pommel-horse guy” have reached 66 million. But he didn’t just deliver on the entertainment side; Nedoroscik’s performance also helped the US team snap up a Bronze medal. Cool Kim Ye-ji The icy-calm demeanor of South Korean pistol shooter Kim Ye-Ji didn’t go unnoticed by the internet during the athlete’s performance on July 28. Sporting a slick Fila tracksuit (which quickly became one of the most coveted fits of the Games) to the 10m event, Kim gained infinite cool points from the online realm with her unfazed aura and sci-fi-esque image. Her viral eye contraption – a mechanical blinder designed to optimize performance – also helped solidify her as one of the most notable personalities on the Games’ roster, with netizens likening the athlete to a character from a cyberpunk fan fiction work. On TikTok, posts related to “Gold Medal Shooter Kim Ye-Ji” have almost topped 30 million. ‘Unbothered king’ Yusuf Dikeç Turkish pistol shooter Yusuf Dikeç rocked the internet after turning up at the Games in an outfit that looked like he had just strolled in during his lunch break. With one hand in his pocket and no protective headwear, Dikeç’s nonchalant approach to the competition resonated with online spectators, who took to social apps to share their appreciation for the breakout internet star. An athlete formerly unknown before achieving international fame, fans have been scrambling to find out more about the shooter and his personal life – spoiler, he’s a cat man. Post-competition, fans have also been drawing comparisons between Dikeç and Kim’s “insane auras” online, particularly on sharing platform X, formerly Twitter. Zhou Yaqin’s ‘medal biting’ moment China has a new unexpected darling. On Monday last week, a moment shared between Chinese gymnast Zhou Yaqin and Italian gymnasts Alice D’Amato and Manila Esposito blew up online, all thanks to Zhou’s adorable reaction to the Olympic’s tradition of medal-biting. In the viral clip, silver medalist Zhou – who achieved a score of 14.1 for her balance beam routine – can be seen looking surprised by the Italian gymnasts’ biting gesture up on the podium, before bringing her own medal up to her mouth to join in. The video has been shared hundreds of times across the West’s social sphere, propelling the gymnast to the fore of mainstream media. In China, the hashtag #ZhouYaqin has received over 44 million views on Xiaohongshu. China's Zheng Qinwen aces historic tennis win Those who tuned in to watch the women’s singles tennis finals on August 3 would have witnessed a watershed moment for China with athlete Zheng Qinwen clinching Gold, the first Asian tennis player to do so. A rising star in women’s tennis at 21 years old, Zheng’s win is set to change the trajectory of China’s tennis market; the athlete also recently expressed hope that the victory would inspire more children across China to take up the sport. Post-win, Zheng’s performance coursed through the mainland’s social media sphere, with hashtag #Zhengqinwen garnering 320 million views on Xiaohongshu. Australia’s breakdance bizarro Viewers tuned in on Friday last week to watch how breakdancing’s (breaking) Olympics debut went. What they didn’t expect, however, was to witness one of the most internet-breaking moments of the Games. Australian breakdancer and university lecturer Rachael Gunn’s (aka Raygun) performance left audiences speechless with her bizarre routine that earned zero points from the judges. The spectacle, which quickly went viral, has inspired a flurry of memes, as well as drawing immense criticism from audiences accusing the “B-girl” of tarnishing breaking’s reputation at the Games. Gunn’s moment has racked up millions of impressions online, with one TikTok post amassing almost 15 million views. Snoop Dogg steals the show A far cry from being a breakout name, Snoop Dogg’s presence at the Olympics was bound to rack up online views. But the level at which the superstar has been soaking up the Games has boosted that online virality even further. Alongside clips of the rapper carrying the Olympics torch and swimming with former world champion Michael Phelps, his meet-up with cooking sensation Martha Stewart in matching equestrian gear during the dressage event stole the show. Posts related to the musician’s Olympic circuit have surpassed 63 million on TikTok, so far.

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The Olympics’ viral breakout stars, from Kim Ye-Ji to Zhou Yaqin