This Badminton Player’s Reaction to Winning Gold Will Hit You Right in the Feels
If you thought Simone Manuel’s surprised reaction to winning gold was a touching moment or that Matthew McConaughey’s rollercoaster ride of emotions watching the games was something to see, just wait until you see how China’s Chen Long reacted to taking home top honors in the badminton men’s singles finals! After defeating frontrunner Lee Chong Wei of Malaysia with a score of 2-0, the 27-year-old was absolutely overcome with emotion. And we do mean overcome.
As the reality of his amazing accomplishment slowly sank in, Chen fell to his knees and began to shed tears of joy, trying his best to wipe his eyes with his jersey. As the badminton champ wept, we were right there with him, our eyes watering as fiercely as they did when we witnessed the best marriage proposal of the Olympics.
Before we knew it, Chen was on the ground, unable to stand up or function. Luckily, his coach soon appeared on the court, ready to lend a hand — or, in this case, all of the strength he could muster — to help Chen back up: a feat that proved to be more difficult than you might think!
Unable to hold back a bit of a laugh, the mighty coach eventually succeeded as we watched this amazing display of joy unfold before our eyes.
The best snap of all, however, might just be this one, which came after Chen (finally!) left the badminton court for the medal ceremony. As the gold medalist got up on the podium to officially receive his prize, the tears were no longer flowing, replaced instead with sheer excitement. Just look at that jump!
Congratulations, Chen, and thanks for making us smile (and cry!) so hard!
What’s your favorite Olympic moment from Rio? Tweet us @BritandCo.
(h/t Cosmopolitan, photo via Sean M. Haffey/Getty)
