Olympic viewers appalled at 'ridiculous' age of athlete after seeing her profile
Callum Jones
Featured Image Credit: CGTN SPorts scene/TikTok/@chineseembassyinus
Ready to feel old? That's exactly what's happened to a lot of Olympic viewers after seeing the profile of one athlete at the games.
We may only just been a week into the sporting fun in Paris, but my word have there been a lot of talking points thus far.
It of course all started off with the controversy surrounding the opening ceremony, leaving some religious groups furious.
And in recent days, the talk has constantly focused on the boxer who failed the gender eligibility test.
Advert
But away from that for one moment, Olympic viewers are now fixated on the age of one of the athletes in Paris.
Those who tune into the Olympics every four years will be aware that it's often the home for new talent to shine through.
But it appears that ages seem to be younger at every event, to the point where viewers now deem it 'ridiculous'.
Zheng Haohao, a skateboarding athlete from China, is trying her hands at the Olympics for the very first time.
She is the youngest Olympian in Paris, and really propelled herself onto the main stage ever since she landed a 540 spin at the Budapest Olympic Qualifier Series in Hungary.
Now competing for the People’s Republic of China in France, Zheng's impressive skateboarding career to date started at just the age of seven.
She has been professional for the past two years, so she seemingly has a bit of experience at this point.
But as many viewers flock to her Olympic profile after watching her in Paris, they can't quite get over her age.
Get ready to feel old...Zheng was actually born in 2012 and is just 11-years-old.
The Olympian turns 12 later this month on the 12 August.
And after finding out her age, some Olympic viewers feel there should be an age limit.
"I thought minimum age to compete was 16...what happened to that?" one person penned on Instagram.
Despite her age, Zheng insists she is at the Paris 2024 Olympics for one reason only...to win.
Posting to the Chinese social media site, Weibo, the athlete wrote: “I don’t want to put any pressure on myself. I just want to show my best in Paris.”
She added: “I want to tell the world that, even though I am young, I can skate well. I want to fulfil the dreams many adults have.”
Speaking of how her skateboarding career came about, Zheng told Xinhua: "I started skateboarding just to make new friends and have fun.”