China's Fu Yuanhui attends the awarding ceremony of women's 100m backstroke swimming final at the 2016 Rio Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, on Aug. 8, 2016. Fu Yuanhui won the bronze medal with 58.76 seconds. (Xinhua/Wang Peng)
China's newest internet celebrity Fu Yuanhui took bronze in the women's 100m backstroke swimming at the 2016 Rio Olympic Games Tuesday morning, finishing in 58.76 seconds.
On learning about the small 0.01 second difference between her and second place, she retained the good humour that has captivated much of the nation.
"Perhaps it is because my arm are too short," she joked.
Fu was born on January 7, 1996, the generation now dubbed the "post 95s," and became hugely popular as a quirky and highly expressive TV interview that she gave after her semi-final went viral.
In online discussions of Fu and the lively interview, many suggested that understanding her was the key to better understanding Fu's generation in China today.
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In just one day, Fu's Weibo account rocketed to over 2.7 million followers. In her profile, she describes herself as "loving cats, dogs,stuffed toys and food; a capricorn mixed with scorpion blood; and someone who regards herself as a quite beautiful boy."
Teammates of Fu said they always believed she would become popular as she has so many facial expression, dares to joke about herself and is always full of witty remarks.
From the National Games, to the Asian Games, to the Olympic Games, it has been quite a journey for the 20 year old from Hangzhou, who is widely admired for her relaxed attitude and good nature.
"I did not reserve my strength. I tried my best ... I am very satisfied with the result and I have never thought about the final," Fu said in her interview after the semi-final.
Besides Chinese Internet users, Fu has also attracted many foreign fans. A Twitter-user commented, "you do not need to know Chinese to understand her good mood."
