Silver medal Olympic-winning gymnast Zhou Yaqin was spotted working in an unlikely place following her success at the games in Paris, France, earlier this month.
Yaqin, who hails from China, was recorded serving dishes at a restaurant belonging to her mother in their hometown of Hengyand in the Hunan Province this week.
“Remember that cute Chinese gymnast Zhou Yaqin? After winning the Olympic silver, she has returned to her parents’ home for a vacation,” an account posted to X, showing a video of the 18-year-old waiting a table, suggesting she did not have much of a choice.
“Of course you can’t call it a vacation. Because she needs help work in the restaurant run by her parents.”
Despite the implied criticism, fans on social media lauded Zhou for her servility in the wake of her claim to fame at the Olympic Games.
“That’s why discipline plays an important part in lives of champions like her,’ a user pointed out on Instagram,” one wrote.
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“Their upbringing is such that they remain humble and down to earth,” another said.
“This is cultural, and bless her little heart. Olympian and Family Gal. Some young man is going to scoop her up for a wifey,” someone else claimed.
“Working hard and earning for the family is a noble job. She should be proud. Her medal moment is immortalized in the world of the Internet,” one comment read.
Zhou Yaqin Has A Bright Future Ahead Of Her
The customers didn’t seem to recognize Zhou Yaqin while she worked at her mom’s establishment, but she previously shared a photo of a wall with all of her gymnastic feats at the restaurant on the Chinese social media platform, Weibo.
“i recommend everybody to come visit my family’s restaurant,” she wrote.
The teenager won silver in the women’s balance beam event in Paris. She recorded a score of 14.100 in the final, a marginal 0.766 points short of her qualification score of 14.866.
Italy’s Alicia D’Amato took the first-place berth, while the Chinese star hilariously went viral after mimicking her podium finishers after watching them bite their medals.
Yaqin also won silver at the World Gymnastics Championships earlier this year. At 18 years of age, her future looks exceptionally bright.
