unilad homepage
  • News
  • Film and TV
  • Music
  • Tech
  • Features
  • Celebrity
  • Politics
  • Weird
  • Community
  • Advertise
  • Terms
  • Privacy & Cookies
  • LADbible Group
  • LADbible
  • SPORTbible
  • GAMINGbible
  • Tyla
  • UNILAD Tech
  • FOODbible
  • License Our Content
  • About Us & Contact
  • Jobs
  • Latest
  • Topics A-Z
  • Authors
Facebook
Instagram
X
Threads
TikTok
YouTube
Submit Your Content
Fans divided over US gold medalist's 'awkward' gesture on the Olympic podium

Home> News> World News

Updated 16:38 29 Jul 2024 GMT+1Published 16:31 29 Jul 2024 GMT+1

Fans divided over US gold medalist's 'awkward' gesture on the Olympic podium

Torri Huske and Gretchen Walsh finished within a fraction of a second of each other

Kit Roberts

Kit Roberts

google discoverFollow us on Google Discover
Featured Image Credit: Getty/MANAN VATSYAYANA/Getty/Richard Heathcote

Topics: News, US News, World News, China, Olympics, Sport, France

Kit Roberts
Kit Roberts

Kit joined UNILAD in 2023 as a community journalist. They have previously worked for StokeonTrentLive, the Daily Mirror, and the Daily Star.

Advert

Advert

Advert

A US athlete's 'weird' gesture on the podium at the Olympics has left the internet divided.

On Sunday (July 28), the Olympic event for the women's 100m butterfly final took place, with the event becoming dominated by Team USA, as Torri Huske and Gretchen Walsh from the US ended up taking both the gold and the silver medal home.

Walsh had been pipped to smash records in the event, but it was Huske who ended up beating her teammate to the gold medal by just 0.04 seconds.

Torri Huske and Gretchen Walsh finished with just 0.04 seconds between them (Richard Heathcote/Getty Images)
Torri Huske and Gretchen Walsh finished with just 0.04 seconds between them (Richard Heathcote/Getty Images)

Advert

Huske, 21, ended up finishing with a time of 55.59 seconds in the event, with her teammate Walsh coming in at 55.63 seconds, making the final margin razor thin.

Meanwhile, China's Zhang Yufei took the bronze medal, coming in with a time of 56.21 seconds, just 0.62 seconds behind Walsh.

And Huske could scarcely believe it when she turned to see that she had taken the gold.

Speaking afterwards, she said: "I didn’t know how to process it. It’s just very overwhelming when you’ve been dreaming of this moment for so long."

But her actions on the podium appear to have caused as much of a stir as her performance in the pool.



As the US national anthem was about to play over the speakers, Huske ushered Walsh onto the gold medal podium with her.

The gesture was probably intended as a way to share the moment together - especially with the two US teammates having been so close in their finishing times.

Huske later said: “It was just really cool to be up there with her. I feel like that's like, what we always do.

"When there's an American who's on the podium with you, you always listen to the national anthem together."

But some people noticed how Bronze medallist Zhang Yufei was then left by herself on the bronze podium.

The two stood together on the top podium (Richard Heathcote/Getty Images)
The two stood together on the top podium (Richard Heathcote/Getty Images)

Viewers shared their thoughts on social media, with one saying: "Never seen that done, kinda weird?"

Someone else posted on Twitter: "Awesome but awkward for the bronze medalist."

Meanwhile, a third said they 'could have included the other young woman'.

However, some disagreed as one viewer called it 'beautiful' and 'awesome', while someone else said: "Aww that’s so wonderful."

Later on, Huske and Walsh also invited Zhang to join them on the top podium to take photos and celebrate, with the bronze medalist saying: "It was a really warming gesture that they invited me on the podium."

  • Olympic scandal erupts over gold-winning ice skating duo as ISU responds to judging backlash
  • Olympic medalist confesses to cheating on girlfriend on live TV after winning podium spot
  • Double Olympic gold medalist dies aged 31 in tragic mountaineering accident
  • Team USA snowboarder who won gold despite oversleeping set to compete for second Olympic medal

Choose your content:

5 mins ago
20 mins ago
an hour ago
  • HBO
    5 mins ago

    Harry Potter fans point out what's missing from HBO's reboot series trailer

    The upcoming series has been met with a mixed reception following the arrival of the trailer.

    Film & TV
  • YouTube/One54 Africa
    20 mins ago

    Comedian sued by Lion King composer over song's 'true meaning' speaks out

    The case was opened after Zimbabwean comedian Learnmore Jonasi made a joking translation of the iconic chant

    News
  • X/Druski
    an hour ago

    Comedian Druski sparks backlash after dressing as 'Erika Kirk' in shocking skit

    Druski appears to have used specific clips of Erika Kirk as inspiration for his skit

    Celebrity
  • Dave Benett/Getty Images for Harper's Bazaar UK
    an hour ago

    New Harry Potter Snape actor Paapa Essiedu receives death threats after casting

    The actor described the types of messages he sees when he opens social media

    Celebrity