Tokyo 2020: Viral Chinese swimmer Fu Yuanhui ‘not going to Olympics’ after missing qualifiers
- Reports say that Rio 2016 media darling will not be at Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games after absence from qualifying event
- Swimmer disqualified from 100m backstroke at May’s Olympic selection event in Qingdao after false start
Fu went viral after her surprised reaction to winning the 100-metre backstroke bronze medal in Rio was shared online, but she is not likely to repeat the feat next month.
Yesterday was the second day of competition in Xian, Shaanxi province, with Fu not present on Monday’s day one either.
Who is barrier-breaking Chinese swimmer Fu Yuanhui?
According to a report on Sina, Fu will miss the Tokyo Games unless the Chinese Swimming Association changes its rules for selection.
Fu needed to impress at this week’s event – the last chance to qualify – after disappointment at the previous qualifiers in Qingdao early in May.
Viral sensation Fu disqualified in Chinese Olympic trials
The 25-year-old could still have swam in the relay but appears to have given up on a second Games.
Fu, who won gold in the 100m backstroke at the 2014 Asian Games, was seen as a medal hope again in Tokyo, where the delayed Olympics begin on July 23.
‘I’m an athlete first, not internet celebrity,’ Olympic swimmer Fu Yuanhui says
She is the Chinese national record holder in the 100m backstroke, setting her best of 58.72 seconds in April, 2017
