Olympics Briefing: The Athlete as Meme

Several competitors have gone viral just for doing what they do.

View in browser|nytimes.com August 2, 2024 Follow along during the day's action with live coverage from The Athletic. Kim Yeji of South Korea. Charles Mcquillan/Getty Images By Andrew Keh Reporting from Paris It was the video that launched a thousand Halloween costume ideas. An Olympic shooter in a sporty, chic ensemble — black tracksuit, backward baseball cap, futuristic eyewear — raises her pistol and fires a shot. She appears insouciant throughout, while an announcer chirps excitedly about her score. Like any internet phenomenon, you kind of need to see it in its natural habitat to get it. The clip was not actually filmed in Paris but rather earlier this year in Azerbaijan, and hardly anyone knew the athlete's name: Kim Yeji of South Korea. And yet the video has been viewed tens of millions of times and wrangled into countless social media posts, giving rise to a very 21st-century Olympic star. The Olympics have clambered to stay relevant, adding events like breaking and skateboarding and climbing in recent years to lure eyeballs from the younger generations. But the saving grace of the Games, in the end, may be their seemingly infinite meme-ability. As the past week in Paris has made clear, the social media era has spawned a new sort of celebrity Olympian: anonymous, ephemeral, more famous as effigy than athlete. In 2012, the American gymnast McKayla Maroney, in a moment of disappointment, pursed her lips to one side — a fleeting spasm of muscle that sparked memes, commercial opportunities and, eventually, a photo with President Obama. Four years later arrived the "Shirtless Tongan," Pita Taufatofua, whose modest achievements in an assortment of sports (taekwondo, cross-country skiing and canoe) were outshined by his perpetually glistening torso. This kind of fame — happenstance, ironic, digitally induced — has touched several athletes in Paris, like the American gymnast Stephen Nedoroscik, renowned by some now as "nerdy pommel horse guy." But the most interesting development has been all the clicks devoted to the shooters, who typically compete far from the big stage. The Turkish pistol shooter Yusuf Dikec had his own 15 minutes of virality, as have Jiang Ranxin of China and Choe Daehan of South Korea, all for basically aiming their guns the way they always do. It's all in good fun, but the avalanche of memes can make you forget that these are corporeal beings who exist offline. Kim, who has won a silver medal already, competes again on Friday with the start of the 25-meter pistol events. Check it out. She'll probably look cool doing it. But she's good at it, too. TODAY'S TOP STORY James Hill for The New York Times Kids at the Olympics: 'It's Honestly Kind of Insane.' From the shooting range to the swimming pool, teens and preteens are grabbing medals and the spotlight. Nowhere is this truer than at the skateboard park. By Dodai Stewart MEDAL COUNT     GOLD SILVER BRONZE TOTAL United States 9 15 13 37 France 8 11 8 27 China 11 7 6 24 Britain 6 7 7 20 Australia 8 6 4 18 Japan 8 3 5 16 See all medal counts Source: International Olympic Committee Results as of Aug. 1, 6:30 p.m. E.T. Welcome to Day 7 We're right around that point of every Summer Olympics when the prime-time baton starts to be passed, with the gymnastics and swimming events winding down and the track and field competition heating up. The gymnasts have Friday off altogether before resuming on Saturday for three more days of competition. Friday will be jam-packed, though, at the lavender track in the Stade de France, culminating with the men's 10,000-meter final. The American runner Grant Fisher will contend for his first Olympic medal in that race. And three medals will be up for grabs at the swimming pool, including in the men's 50-meter freestyle, one of the more chaotic events in the sport. The Olympics are available on NBC and Peacock in the United States. MORE OLYMPICS COVERAGE How Simone Biles Won the Olympic Women's Gymnastics All-Around Gold The most difficult vault in the world and an explosive floor routine brought Biles her second all-around win, while her teammate Sunisa Lee picked up the bronze and Rebeca Andrade of Brazil took silver. By Maggie Astor, Weiyi Cai, K.K. Rebecca Lai, Scott Reinhard, Bedel Saget, Joe Ward, Josh Williams and Jeremy White How Golf and Physics Are Raising the Limits in Shot-Put Ryan Crouser, an American, has combined radar technology borrowed from golf and an innovative technique to take aim at his third straight Olympic gold. By Jeré Longman These Children's Books Will Get You in the Olympic Spirit Colorful primers, inspirational biographies and books by former champions will get kids excited for the Paris Games — and teach valuable lessons along the way. By Jennifer Harlan Some of our Olympics coverage — including these dispatches — will also be available in Spanish. You can read them here. Need help? Review our newsletter help page or contact us for assistance. You received this email because you signed up for Olympics Briefing from The New York Times. To stop receiving Olympics Briefing, unsubscribe. To opt out of other promotional emails from The Times, including those regarding The Athletic, manage your email settings. To opt out of updates and offers sent from The Athletic, submit a request. Subscribe to The TimesGet The New York Times app Connect with us on: Change Your EmailPrivacy PolicyContact UsCalifornia Notices The New York Times Company. 620 Eighth Avenue New York, NY 10018