(ECNS) -- Olympic medals are a huge boost to an athlete's fame, but a number of athletes have become overnight online sensations for reasons other than being faster, higher or stronger. Their shortcuts to popularity from the Rio Olympics include humor, a catchphrase, and even a mosquito net. [Special coverage]
Fu Yuanhui: honghuang zhili
Chinese swimmer Fu Yuanhui is almost everywhere online, from the Twitter-like microblogging platform Weibo to mobile messaging app WeChat, as well as Internet forums and TV, all because of her jubilant reaction at the semifinals in the Women's 100-meter backstroke.
In a 30-second video of her third-place result, the excited woman told CCTV that "I have used honghuang zhili."
The phrase means "the power that can separate heaven from earth in the chaotic world of prehistoric times," but it's seldom used in oral language.
Thanks to Fu, the pedantic phrase has gained resonance among Chinese Internet users. China's earthquake administration even posted a more detailed explanation on Weibo, saying that "hong huang" refers to the chaotic, primordial state of the earth, featuring frequent temblors and high temperatures.
Fu had already gained some fame before the Games for her expressive face and funny quotes. But she certainly reached a new peak with her overreaction and body language in front of the camera.
Causing a frenzy on the Internet, she had more than 620,000 followers on her Weibo account just hours after the video interview was released.
Wu Mingxian's boyfriend becomes celebrity
Chinese diving star Wu Minxia ended her record-setting Olympic career with a fifth gold medal. But there had been no reports in the past about her love life, though Chinese fans are all too familiar with Wu's former diving partner Guo Jingjing's retirement and marriage several years ago.
A casual interview at the Games surprised everyone watching when a man who looked like an ordinary Chinese fan told a reporter that Wu is his girlfriend.
It turns out he is Zhang Xiaocheng, a broadcaster, who became famous overnight with his quotations and first effort to talk to the public.
Basketball player's casual squat
Chinese basketball player Guo Ailun's squat for a short rest during the Opening Ceremony of the Games made him an Internet star.
After seeing Guo sitting on the ground with one leg crossed over the other, Internet users called him "the champion of the Chinese squat" who uses the "Ge You repose," an Internet meme referring to actor Ge You's posture in a classic TV drama.
But Guo was taken aback by his new-found popularity. "What happened last night?" he asked on Weibo the second day.
Football player: long lob shot
An incredible long lob shot by soccer midfielder Tan Ruyin helped China beat South Africa on August 6 at the Rio Olympics.
Tan's goal not only made her name known around the world, but also reminded Chinese fans of British player David Beckham's 60-meter lob many years ago.
But Cai Zhenhua, deputy director of China's General Administration of Sport, said the Chinese women's soccer team "still has a long way to go" compared to its foreign counterparts, and people should not "expect too much" of them.
Made-in-China mosquito net
A made-in-China product was the hottest among worldwide athletes in Rio de Janeiro. Mosquito nets, mistakenly called the "white Chinese knot" by overseas athletes, are proving more powerful than high-tech products, including creams and chemical equipment, in mosquito prevention.
It was reported that some foreign athletes intended to buy a net from Chinese gymnast Feng Zhe.
