Zhou Yaqin and Italian gymnasts Alice D'Amato and Manila Esposito. PHOTO: All from Getty Images

Video: Chinese gymnast Zhou Yaqin spotted helping her parents at their restaurant after winning silver at Paris Olympics 2024

Modified Aug 14, 2024 21:01 GMT

China's gymnastics star Zhou Yaqin has once again found herself in the spotlight after being seen working at her parents' restaurant. She had previously garnered praise due to an incident during the medal ceremony at the Paris Olympics 2024.

Yaqin's performance at the Paris Olympics earned her the silver medal in the women's balance beam event. After her triumph, she appeared on the podium alongside Italy's Alice D'Amato and Manila Esposito. During the medal ceremony, the Italian gymnasts bit their medals, adhering to the Olympic tradition of athletes biting their medals.

However, what caught people's attention was the 18-year-old Chinese gymnast who tried to bite her own medal after looking at D'Amato and Esposito. The videos from the presentation became viral, with Zhou Yaqin becoming an internet sensation.

Recently, Yaqin made headlines again after she was seen serving food to customers at a restaurant. It is worth noting that she was helping out at her family’s restaurant, where she was seen carrying plates and serving customers.

One can watch the video of the Chinese gymnast helping at the family-owned restaurant here.

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The viral video also led to people around the world praising Yaqin for her humility and staying true to her roots.

A look into Zhou Yaqin's performance at Paris Olympics 2024

Zhou Yaqin during the Women's Balance Beam Final at the Paris Olympics 2024. (Photo via Getty Images)

Zhou Yaqin collected the silver medal in the balance beam event after scoring 14.100 points in the final at the Paris Olympics. She was only behind Italy's Alice D'Amato, who bagged the gold medal by securing 14.366 points.

This was also a historic achievement for Italy as it was the nation's first individual gold in women's artistic gymnastics at the Olympics. Italy achieved another podium finish in the balance beam as Manila Esposito won the bronze with 14.000 points. The event also saw the United States' Simone Biles and Suni Lee fail to finish on the podium after they fell while performing their routines.

Earlier, in the qualification, Zhou Yaqin had topped the event with a phenomenal score of 14.866 points. She entered the finals as one of the favorites to win a medal in the discipline, and won the silver medal in the end.

Another notable accomplishment of the Chinese gymnast's career was winning the silver medal in the balance beam event at the 2023 Artistic Gymnastics World Championships held in Antwerp, Belgium.