Chinese swimmer Ning Zetao prepares to compete in the semifinal of Men's 100m freestyle at Rio Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Aug. 9, 2016.
"Oh my god! This Chinese swimmer is so hot; you need to look!" texted Catreona Collier to her friends. She was gushing about Ning Zetao, a 23-year-old swimmer on the Chinese Olympic team in Rio. She saw Ning's photo on social media and instantly fell in love.
Collier, a 14-year-old high school student in Britain, spends her summer holiday exchanging information and pictures with her friends about Ning - it's an obsession.
"As teenage girls, we were very excited about Ning," said Collier. "We mostly talk about his muscles, which are so attractive."
As a fan of sports, especially swimming, Collier always watches the Olympic Games. She is not the only one attracted to Ning's dark hair, dark eyes, and enchanting physique.
Ning started to capture the eye of Western media even before he participated in the 2016 Rio Olympic Games. A shining star with both talent and achievement in swimming as the first Asian man to swim 100 meters in under 48 seconds in 2015, with a hot body to boot, Ning was dubbed "China's Hottest Olympic Swimmer" by Western media days before he took his first splash in the Rio swimming pool.
Apart from Ning, other Chinese athletes are also getting attention for their extraordinary performances in their own fields. For example, world No.1 table tennis player Ma Long amazed Western Net users when he defeated Nigerian rising star Aruna Quadri within just 28 minutes on August 10. Zhang Jike, the world No.4 player in table tennis, is also on the radar of many Western sports fans.
Both the skill and sex appeal of these Chinese athletes are pushing more foreigners to root for China. They are also helping change stereotyped perceptions of Asian males.
Overseas fans
Collier started to search for information and was surprised to discover that Ning is not only good looking but also an excellent swimmer.
"I've read a lot about Ning's success at The Incheon 2014 Asian Games in South Korea," said Collier. "He was also named China's sports personality of 2015!"
Her affection for Ning has also opened a door for her to get to know more about the Chinese team.
"I'll definitely be watching Ning compete in the 50-meter freestyle on August 12 (Beijing time)," she said. "And I'm also excited to watch other Chinese athletes compete this year."
The Chinese table tennis team also has a huge following outside of China.
"I'm a big fan of the Chinese national team," said Tyler Vazquez, a 27-year-old journalist based in Florida in the US. Vazquez has been a table tennis fan since he started playing just over a year ago.
"I quickly became fascinated with the sport, and came to revere the skills of players like Ma Long and Zhang Jike," he said.
He loves watching their matches and is most taken by their unique signatures.
"To see Zhang out here pumping his fist and yelling 'Cho!' is so amazing to witness," said Vazquez. "He is bringing everything he has to these matches. He's an aggressive player with an attitude to match. I always think of him as the bad boy of table tennis."
Vazquez also enjoys the various personalities of the Chinese athletes. "Ma Long is very serious. [He] doesn't display as much excitement but still gets very worked up about winning. He's composed. His hair is parted neatly. He takes his craft and himself very seriously. I think he's going to win gold," he said. "I'm excited to see if they end up facing each other in the final."
Like Vazquez, many of the foreigners attracted by the skill and performance of the Chinese athletes also know a lot about them: their different styles and personalities.
"Ma Long, for me, is a genius at table tennis. He understands how it should go, whether fast or slow, crossed or parallel. He seems to have a computer in his head to analyze the matches live," said Anzony, a Spanish fan of Ma and Zhang and a forecaster who mainly focuses on table tennis.
