Paris Olympics 2024: Noah Lyles, Kim Yeji, Payton Otterdahl and more turn event into summer of anime
The 2024 Paris Olympics seem to be proof that anime has levelled up from niche, nerdy obsession to a global phenomenon, effortlessly fusing with the grandeur of the world’s greatest sporting event
Noah Lyles, Kim Yeji and Payton Otterdahl at the Paris Olympics 2024
| Photo Credit: Reuters
Summer 2024 in Paris hasn’t just seen the city bloom with Olympian athleticism; it’s also basking in an infectious wave of otaku energy. The 2024 Olympics have been peppered with a barrage of tributes and homages to Japanese pop culture, with athletes across disciplines striking poses and performing rituals that would make even the most seasoned weeb smile knowingly.
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Take, for instance, America’s fleet-footed dynamo Noah Lyles. As the “world’s fastest otaku” lined up at the starting block during his qualifiers in June, he nonchalantly pulled out a Yu-Gi-Oh! card, and theatrically summons the legendary Blue Eyes White Dragon.
The pre-race quirk of sorts seemed to have channelled him with the energy to propel Lyles forward with otherworldly shounen speed that has now landed him the Olympic gold in the men’s 100-metre final in a jaw-dropping 9.78 seconds. Wrapped in stars and stripes, Lyles capped off his win with a triumphant Kamehameha pose from Dragon Ball.
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A post shared by Noah Lyles (@nojo18)
The French fencing team, hot off their bronze medal win, seems to have taken this Goku-inspired spirit to heart, performing a synchronised Kamehameha in a scene of pure anime gold, with the stadium roaring in approval.
The French Fencing Team after winning the Bronze did a group Kamehameha.#DragonBallpic.twitter.com/KL38KtpjBb
— SUPER クロニクルス (@SupaChronicles) August 1, 2024
Meanwhile, the Dragon Ball Ultra Instinct theme also played in the stadium before the 400m mixed relay race.
'Dragon Ball' ULTRA INSTINCT AT THE OLYMPICS pic.twitter.com/2uB16KeZVA
— Anime Craze (@crazedanime_) August 4, 2024
Switching sports, the German volleyball player Tobias Krick brought his favourite plushie, Tsukishima from Haikyuu!!, to his games, mirroring his animated counterpart’s role as a blocker.
Olympic Volleyball player Tobias Krick shared his GQ Top Ten Essentials. One of the essentials being a plush of Tsukushima from the anime Haikyu!! Tsukushima is his favorite character because they play the same middle blocker position.
pic.twitter.com/r3uzWmEmyA— Anime Anonymous (@animeanonymous) July 31, 2024
Volleyball itself has seen an unexpected surge in popularity, thanks in no small part to Haikyuu!!. A Mainichi poll revealed that Gen Z viewers overwhelmingly chose volleyball as their Olympic favourite, lured by the anime’s dynamic portrayal of the sport.
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In Paris this year, the Japanese Men’s Volleyball team was even greeted with Haikyuu!!’s intro song in Paris, with fans showing up in cosplay, turning the stands into a delightful mix of jocks and otakus.
They played the Haikyuu opening at the Olympics! pic.twitter.com/gGVdBlvpxX
— Anime Craze (@crazedanime_) July 31, 2024
American shot putter Payton Otterdahl added his own page to this Olympic anime anthology. Emulating Luffy from One Piece, Otterdahl’s pre-competition ritual involved mimicking the pirate’s Gear Fourth Boundman form, seemingly giving him superhuman strength for a near-podium finish.
At the Paris Olympics, the American athlete Payton Otterdahl does Gear 4 pose !
One piece influence is CRAZY pic.twitter.com/BtgGRyXzOd— Sam (@yonkoluffyszn) August 3, 2024
Chinese rifle shooter Zhang Qiongyue also stole hearts with her viral Hello Kitty-adorned rifle, making headlines and turning her weapon into the cutest meme machine on social media.
a new challenger has entered the "badass women with guns at the olympics" competition: the hello kitty shooter zhang qiongyue pic.twitter.com/G7Al5TOBnJ
— kate bush’s husband (@airbagged) August 2, 2024
And then there was the British 4×400 Mixed Relay team. Fresh from their bronze medal win, they celebrated by forming the hand sign for Gojo’s Domain Expansion from Jujutsu Kaisen.
British 4×400 Mixed Relay team celebrate their podium finish with Gojo’s hand sign from Jujutsu Kaisen
| Photo Credit:
BBC
But the sensations that took the internet by storm the most at this year’s Olympics hailed from the competitive shooting events. South Korea’s Kim Yeji, a silver medalist in the 10-metre air pistol event, inspired fans to create anime-style posters celebrating her “main character energy”.
私のポストに投下された無課金おじさんことユスフ・ディケチ選手ともう1人、どなたかのイラスト。たぶん海外のファンが描いたやつ。
1人は硝煙だけどディケチ選手は花。
より殺し屋っぽいというか強者感出てていいね。 pic.twitter.com/gMWrA1fFFZ— ボストン (@BostonGame777) August 1, 2024
Meanwhile, Turkish shooter Yusuf Dikec, with his unassuming, gearless Olympic getup, became an Internet sensation dubbed “Uncle Free-to-Play,” his image immortalised in manga tributes that captured his unique charm.
Turkish pistol shooter Yusuf Dikeç has gone viral in Japan as well, and a manga depiction of him was created by the community.#YusufDikechttps://t.co/2FcYibtYL3pic.twitter.com/lqXxrUTZml
— aїrytw (@airytw) August 1, 2024
Even South Korean shooter Choe Dae-han’s stylish posture, earning him 7th place in the 10m air rifle event, was reimagined by fans in the style of Jojo’s Bizarre Adventures.
The only Olympics controversy I care about is the fact that this guy was clearly using a JoJo's Stand when taking his shot pic.twitter.com/qyqI9v0URv
— Post-Badman (@The_Swole_Nerd) August 2, 2024
However, the anime-fueled spectacles at the Paris Olympics aren’t the first time athletes have flexed their inner weeb on the world stage. Rewind to the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, and Greek long jumper Miltiadis Tentoglou launched himself into Luffy’s Gear Second pose straight out of One Piece, snatching gold in the process. Italian race walker Massimo Stano, struck a similar stance, and also walked away with gold.
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Long Jumper Miltiadis Tentoglou of Greece is a #ONEPIECE fan and that’s pretty cool. #LongJumppic.twitter.com/U2TdAYYqgx
— Quinn Mazzilli (@Qmaz246) August 2, 2021
Otterdahl himself shot to fame for the first time that year, having performed Franky’s “SUPER!” pose from One Piece before hurling his way into the finals.
Payton Otterdahl previously also did a Franky impression back in Tokyo 2 years ago! 🔥
SUUUUUUPERRRRRRR 🫡 pic.twitter.com/PhUd0DzWtd— Andy Collectz (@AndyCollectz) August 3, 2024
Most recently, Italian runner Lorenzo Ndele Simonelli channeled his inner pirate by striking Luffy’s Gear 5 pose before the 110m hurdles semifinal in Paris. Though he missed the podium, he had earlier bagged silver at the European Championship in Rome, where he upped the ante with a “Nika” pose, draped in the Italian flag, straw hat perched jauntily atop his head, boldly proclaiming himself as Monkey D. Luffy incarnate.
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A post shared by Lorenzo Simonelli (@monkey_d_lollo)
If anything, the Paris Olympics seem to be proof that anime has levelled up from niche, nerdy obsession to a global phenomenon, effortlessly fusing with the grandeur of the world’s greatest sporting event.
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