Chinese social media in mixture of fury, sympathy at gymnast Su Weide’s Olympics gaffe
- Su, a 24-year-old Olympic Games debutant, lost his grip twice and came crashing down on the mat during his bar routine
Netizens have voiced their disappointment at Chinese male gymnast Su Weide while some have speculated that he has been ostracised by his teammates, after his two falls during his horizontal bar routine cost the team their gold medal.
Su, a 24-year-old Olympic Games debutant, lost his grip twice and came crashing down on the mat during his bar routine at the men’s gymnastics finals on Monday, effectively handing the gold medal to Japan.
China were in the lead at the midway point with stellar performance on still rings, where 29-year-old veteran Liu Yang scored 15.500, and looked unbeatable after 26-year-old Zou Jingyuan secured 16.000 on parallel bars.
China had been ahead of Japan by three points until the final round at the horizontal bar when Xiao Ruoteng, a Chinese veteran, landed his dismount to his knees, stumbling forward before regaining his balance.
Su, who went next, fell twice. First, he peeled off the horizontal bar, leading Zou to jump up from his chair, holding his head in his hands.
Shortly after regrasping the bar, Su immediately tumbled again.
