中国运动员傅园慧::本届奥运最可爱选手

AS IT IS 2016-08-12 China's Fu Yuanhui: The Happiest Olympian? 中国运动员傅园慧::本届奥运最可爱选手

This is What’s Trending Today…

Fu Yuanhui is an Olympic swimmer. She is 20 years old and from the Chinese city of Hangzhou. She competed in the 100-meter backstroke event this week in Rio de Janeiro. She finished third in her semi-final swim on August 7.

Shortly after the semi-finals, Fu became a trending topic on Chinese social media. A short time later, she became a trending topic around the world.

It was not her swimming, however, that made her famous. It was some of the comments she made afterward¹.

A Chinese reporter spoke² with Fu after the semi-finals. The reporter told her that she swam the race in under 59 seconds. This seemed to shock Fu.

“58.95?” Fu said with excitement. “I was really fast!” She told the reporter that she used “mystical powers” in her swim.

Her shock, joy and honesty won her many friends in China -- and around the world. People began making GIFs of her excited facial expressions. Those images spread quickly.

One American swimming coach wrote on Twitter: “Our swimmers are great, but Fu Yuanhui from China is easily my favorite.”

Another American wrote, “Fu Yuanhui from China is the most adorable person on the planet.”

Even the Huffington Post website called her, the “most lovable athlete at the Rio Olympics.”

Fu’s fame only grew on August 9, when she competed in the 100-meter backstroke finals. She beat her semi-final time. She swam the race in 58.76 seconds. It was fast enough to earn her a share of the bronze medal. She tied for third place with Kylie Masse of Canada.

Her comments after the race won Fu even more followers³ in China and around the world.

At first, the swimmer said she does not think she won a medal. She said she is still pleased with her time because she beat the Asian record.

A reporter told her that she was just .01 seconds behind the silver medal winner. Fu said she couldn’t reach second place because her “arms are too short.”

Fu started to say even though she "did not win a medal...” when the reporter corrected her.

“But you got a medal. You are third,” the reporter said.

“Huh?” she said.

Fu looked around in shock. “I didn’t know!”

She then said, “Well, then I think that’s not bad at all!”

Her reaction and personality have made Fu Yuanhui one of China’s -- and the world’s -- favorite Olympians.

The New York Times newspaper wrote Thursday of the swimmer, “Rather than mere⁴ happiness at her performances, Ms. Fu, 20, exhibits something closer to pure joy, bouncing around and making animated⁵ faces.”

Words in This Story

mystical - adj. having a spiritual meaning that is difficult to see or understand

adorable - adj. very appealing; very lovable

exhibit - v. to show or reveal (something)

bounce - v. to move with a lot of energy and excitement

animated - adj. full of life and energy

1 afterward   

adv.后来；以后

参考例句：

• Let's go to the theatre first and eat afterward. 让我们先去看戏，然后吃饭。
• Afterward,the boy became a very famous artist.后来，这男孩成为一个很有名的艺术家。

2 spoke   

n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说

参考例句：

• They sourced the spoke nuts from our company.他们的轮辐螺帽是从我们公司获得的。
• The spokes of a wheel are the bars that connect the outer ring to the centre.辐条是轮子上连接外圈与中心的条棒。

3 followers   

追随者( follower的名词复数 )； 用户； 契据的附面； 从动件

参考例句：

• the followers of Mahatma Gandhi 圣雄甘地的拥护者
• The reformer soon gathered a band of followers round him. 改革者很快就获得一群追随者支持他。

4 mere   

adj.纯粹的；仅仅，只不过

参考例句：

• That is a mere repetition of what you said before.那不过是重复了你以前讲的话。
• It's a mere waste of time waiting any longer.再等下去纯粹是浪费时间。

5 animated   

adj.生气勃勃的，活跃的，愉快的

参考例句：

• His observations gave rise to an animated and lively discussion.他的言论引起了一场气氛热烈而活跃的讨论。
• We had an animated discussion over current events last evening.昨天晚上我们热烈地讨论时事。