Friendship buds between Chinese and American gymnasts
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American gymnast Simone Biles smiles as China's Tang Xijing embraces teammate Guan Chenchen at the balance beam final on August 3. (Natacha Pisarenko/AP)
Between the trade war, military tensions and coronavirus finger-pointing, it's been a rough few years for US-China relations.
But the Tokyo Olympics has allowed athletes from both countries to demonstrate what their governments haven't for years: friendship.
On Tuesday, Chinese gymnasts Guan Chenchen and Tang Xijing won gold and silver respectively in the women's balance beam final, while US gymnastics star Simone Biles claimed bronze. Both Chinese gymnasts are first-time Olympic medalists.
The win was particularly significant for Guan as the 16-year-old identifies Biles as her hero, according to her biography on the Games' website.
After the results were announced, a beaming Biles embraced Guan. Her US teammate and all-around Olympic champion Sunisa Lee, who had loudly cheered on Guan during her routine, also hugged Guan. Afterward, Lee posted on Instagram that she was "so proud" of Guan, and retweeted a video of Guan's dismount from the beam, captioned, "I love her (so much)."
The enthusiastic celebration and the warmth exchanged between the teams — so rarely seen now as US-China relations and public sentiment sour — quickly went viral online.
"We feel the same! This is what it means," tweeted the official Chinese Olympic Committee, along with a heart emoji and a photo showing the celebration between the four athletes.
Even the nationalist Chinese tabloid Global Times chipped in, saying in an article Lee's "sincere and joyous reaction touched viewers around the world."
And many on the Chinese social media platform Weibo praised Biles and Lee for their sportsmanship, arguing the kind of camaraderie they shared with Guan and Tang embodies the true spirit of the Olympics.
"No matter where you are from, what race you belong to, what beliefs you have, people in international society should unite together, making human life better," said one Weibo user, according to state media. "I see that hope at the Olympic Games. These athletes give us a good example."
Source: CNN
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