The latest Olympic hero for China is not even a gold medalist.
Fu Yuanhui is popular for simply being herself — unafraid to show her unfiltered, wacky facial expressions and candid words.
Her smile lit up the deck as she took a victory lap with the bronze medal around her neck for her performance in the 100-meter backstroke. She didn't care that it wasn't gold, even if her country has long pushed athletes to get to the top of the podium.
As if to prove the point, she thanked herself.
"I want to tell myself that .