Winter Olympics: online fans attack US gold medallist Nathan Chen over ‘humiliating China’ while showering Japan’s Yuzuru Hanyu with love and admiration
- One fan says the second-generation American’s parents were ‘nurtured by the motherland’ while others took aim at his performances
- Hanyu fans say his nationality is irrelevant and they are only admiring his passion and creativity on the ice
As US figure skater Nathan Chen dethroned Yuzuru Hanyu, the two-time Olympic champion and former world record holder, Chinese social media flared up in a polarised reaction to the American and Japanese figure skaters.
Hanyu, who enjoys immense popularity in China, was showered with support and admiration on Weibo, China’s Twitter-like social media platform. In stark contrast, the freshly minted Olympic champion Chen faced near unanimous vitriol.
“Besides pity, there’s also admiration! Yuzuru is truly passionate about figure skating. Mistakes are inevitable, but the strong conviction shown in face of mistakes – alongside grit and courage – demonstrates that he is a genuinely outstanding professional athlete who deserves our love and admiration,” a commentator wrote.
“[Hanyu’s] performance had both beauty and power, that’s ballet on ice. What’s his performance like? Like that of an ape,” wrote a netizen on Chen’s performance.
Two hours after the Japanese skater’s performance, Hanyu-related hashtags trended on Weibo, taking the top spot as well as two more top-10 spots at the peak of online searches.