From the viral Turkish shooter who shot his way to a silver medal with one hand tucked in his pocket, to the Dutch swimmer who dedicated her marathon swim gold medal to her late dog, every other day, there seems to be another Olympian capturing our hearts.
Meet Japan’s Chiharu Shida, a 27-year-old badminton player who’s been melting hearts worldwide with her stunning looks and sweet personality.
While Shida might have missed out on the top spot at the Paris Olympics, she won something perhaps even more precious in this day and age: the admiration of fans everywhere.
The women’s doubles badminton event concluded with China’s Chen Qiangchen and Jia Yifan clinching gold, followed by their compatriots Liu Shengshu and Tan Ning taking silver.
Meanwhile, Shida and her partner Nami Matsuyama snagged the bronze, but it was Shida’s tearful yet graceful response to their earlier loss in the semi-finals that truly caught everyone’s attention.
Her emotional display had fans cooing and flooding social media with supportive comments, some even remarking on how beautiful she looked even while crying.
(Weird thing to fixate on in my opinion, but let’s dive in further in any case!)
Malaysia’s Dilemma: To Support or to Swoon?
When Shida and Matsuyama faced Malaysia’s Pearly Tan and Thinaah Muralitharan for the bronze medal, things got a bit complicated for Malaysian fans. Torn between national pride and their newfound admiration for Shida, many found themselves in a pretty hilarious predicament.
One netizen summed it up perfectly, saying, “My heart belongs to Malaysia, but my body belongs to Chiharu.”
Even the cameraman seemed to be in on it, frequently zooming in on Shida’s many expressions throughout the match.
Despite the internal struggles from the spectators, Shida’s beauty and skills on the court ultimately shone through as she and Matsuyama won against the Malaysian duo, securing the bronze medal.
Even then, Malaysian fans couldn’t help but cheer for Shida, leading to an amusingly conflicted fanbase. One even joked on social media about how Shida’s beauty could distract opponents, causing them to hit the shuttlecock into the net more often.
Shida’s charm is not just skin-deep – She’s got the skills to back up her looks, having played badminton since she was 13.
Starting her training at Aomoriyamada Junior High School, Shida quickly rose through the ranks, winning national youth competitions left and right and grabbing bronze at both the Asian and World Junior Championships in 2014 and 2015.
Her first international win came at the 2016 Vietnam International Challenge, and she’s been on an upward trajectory ever since, forming a formidable and iconic partnership with Matsuyama.
Charms In and Out of the Court
She has also shown her playful side on social media, posting adorable photos with her Chinese rival Tan Ning. The two, who faced off in the semi-finals, proved that rivals can be friends too. They posed as characters from Zootopia and Sanrio, which Tan shared on Instagram, joking that Shida is “cuter” than her.
Shida’s appeal goes beyond her looks and charm. Her aggressive playing style, known for hard and fast smashes, combined with Matsuyama’s counterattacking strategies, makes them a dynamic duo on the court.
Shida and Matsuyama secured the bronze medal by defeating the Malaysian duo Pearly Tan and Muralitharan Thinaah with scores of 21-11, 21-11 in 44 minutes.
Shida’s outgoing personality and charm have made her a favourite not just among fans but also among her peers. Thailand’s Kunlavut Vitidsarn, who recently won silver at the Paris Olympics, admitted in an interview that he has a crush on Shida, calling her his “ideal female partner” and repeatedly describing her as “so cute.”
During the award presentation, fans noticed Shida and Tan exchanging playful winks while standing on the podium.
Their camaraderie didn’t go unnoticed, with fans on Chinese social media expressing surprise and amusement at their friendship. Naturally, it also spawned dozens of edits on TikTok. Some fans even playfully demanded that Tan not steal their beloved Shida away from them.
Here’s a simplified summary of the South Korea martial law that even a 5-year-old would understand:
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