The Chinese backstroke swimmer Fu Yuanhui has become an unexpected star of the Rio Games. Her performances in the pool have been strong — she won a bronze medal in the 100-meter backstroke on Monday. But they have thus far fallen short of the gold standard that has long dominated China’s Olympic quest.
中国仰泳运动员傅园慧已成为里约奥运会上的一个意想不到的明星。她在泳池里的表现不错——周一她在100米仰泳比赛中获得了铜牌。但她的表现至今尚未达到长期主导中国奥运追求的金牌标准。
Instead, it is her exuberance out of the water that has endeared her to fans. Rather than mere happiness at her performances, Ms. Fu, 20, exhibits something closer to pure joy, bouncing around and making animated faces.
相反,是她在泳池外的表现让她赢得了粉丝们的喜爱。现年20岁的傅园慧对自己的成绩表现出了不只是一般的高兴,而是近乎纯粹的喜悦,她上蹦下跳,还做出各种的夸张表情。
After the semifinals for the 100-meter backstroke, where her third-place finish qualified her for the finals, she gushed to a reporter, “I used my primordial powers!” The image of her standing poolside with mouth agape has been ubiquitous on the Chinese internet. Asked if she had any expectations for the final, she said she was already satisfied.
在100米仰泳半决赛结束时,她第三名的成绩让她得以进入决赛,之后,她对记者冒了一句话:“我已经用了洪荒之力!”打那以后,她站在泳池边张着大嘴的形象已在中国互联网上无所不在。当被问及她对决赛有什么期望时,她说她已经很满意了。
Her ecstatic expression captured a rare outlook in Chinese Olympic sports, where the drive for gold has long dominated, and silver is for the first loser. But Ms. Fu seems unlikely to join the ranks of Chinese athletes who are forgotten for not reaching the top of the Olympic podium. Instead, her unbridled happiness at achieving a personal best has resonated widely.
她欣喜若狂的表情让人看到了中国奥林匹克运动罕见的一面,中国的奥林匹克运动长期以来被金牌追求主导,银牌是发给第一名失败者的。但傅园慧似乎不太可能加入那些被遗忘的、未能登上奥运会最高领奖台的中国运动员的行列。相反,她对取得了个人最好成绩所表现的毫无掩饰的喜悦已得到了广泛的共鸣。
“To exceed one’s self is even better than winning a gold medal,” a commentary in The Beijing News said of Ms. Fu’s performance. Online, pictures of her expressions have been juxtaposed against other Chinese athletes whose grim faces betray the intense pressure of Olympic expectations.
“超越自己就能超越金牌,”《新京报》在评论傅园慧的表现时写道。网民们在网上把她表情丰富的照片与其他中国选手的作对比,那些人严峻的面孔流露出奥运期望的巨大压力。
“The reason Fu Yuanhui has been so popular also explains how people today don’t just watch that split second of winning a gold medal,” a commenter in the eastern city of Hangzhou wrote on Weibo. “What’s more important is to enjoy the athletes’ true Olympic spirit.”
“为什么傅园慧这么爆红,也说明了现在的人们不光只看到你拿金牌的那一瞬间,”杭州的一个评论者在微博上写道,“更多的是去欣赏运动员真正的奥运精神。”
After the final for the 100-meter backstroke, Ms. Fu did not realize she had won bronze until informed by a reporter. Rather than express disappointment, she said, “That’s not bad!”
100米仰泳决赛后,傅园慧没有意识到自己获得了铜牌。一名记者把成绩告诉她后,她并没有表示失望,而是说,“成绩很不错!”
“Although I wasn’t the champion, I surpassed myself,” she told Chinese state television. “I think that’s really good.”
“虽然今天并不是冠军,但是我已经超越了自己,”她对中国国家电视台说。“我觉得还是挺好的。”
She deadpanned that her “arms are too short” after learning that she had finished just one-hundredth of a second off the silver-medal winning time.
当得知她的成绩比第二名的银牌获得者只差百分之一秒后,她开玩笑说,她的“胳膊太短了”。
Ms. Fu will return to the Olympic spotlight on Saturday when she swims in the 4x100-meter medley relay. She was part of the Chinese team that won the event last year at the World Championships. Afterward she stood holding her medal with her teammates, and as they smiled determinedly, she bopped around like a human exclamation point.
傅园慧周六将再次成为奥运会上的聚焦点,届时她将参加4x100米混合泳接力赛。她是去年在世锦赛上赢得这项比赛冠军的中国队队员之一。当时,她和队友们站在领奖台上高举着奖牌,展露着她们充满信心的笑容。傅园慧在队友身边蹦跳着,像是为胜利打上了一个人体的感叹号。