US-Born Figure Skater Who Defected To China Breaks Down In Tears After Falling Again
Had hit her lowest score on day two of the event.
Beverly Zu, who changed her name to Zhu Yi, was bitterly left in tears on the ice after falling again in a free skate during the final event at the Winter Olympic in Beijing. The fall has seen the hashtag “Zhu Yi Has Fallen” and trending on the Chinese Twitter-like Weibo platform, where it has garnered millions of views in just a few hours.
Beverly Zhu broke down in tears on the ice after falling again in a free skate at the Beijing Olympics.
She had been widely abused on Chinese social media for poor performance the previous day.
Zhu, born and raised in the United States but competing for China, took a tumble on Sunday.
The incident resulted in Yu coming last, and it had almost cost the hosts a place in the final.
Notably, she had scored 47.03 after she tumbled on her first combination triple flip-triple-toe-loop jump, crashed into the wall, and was unable to compete for her triple loop later in the set. This came just a day after Yu finished with the lowest score after failing to land two jumps and fell on the opening combination in her short program.
The 19-Year-Old fell twice in succession and failed to land several other jumps correctly.
She persevered to the end, but as the music shuts, her poise collapsed and she broke down in tears.
Still sobbing, Yu skated off the ice to the Kiss and Cry corner, where skaters wait to receive their marks.
The incident also drew backlash, with many criticizing Yu’s performances while branding her a disgrace. The 19-Year-Old, who had given up her US Citizenship to compete for the Communist Country, was even questioned by critics about her selection after China was beaten out from third to fifth place in the team event and missed out on a medal.
Yu had been savaged on local social media after the event on Sunday, with hashtags “ZhuYiMessedUp.”
Zhu scored 47.03 after tumbling on her first triple flip-triple toe loop jump.
She also crashed into the wall and bungled her triple loop later in the set.
But thankfully, some members of the Chinese public have urged sympathy and insisted that Yu represented China. Speaking with Reuters in Beijing, a man who gave his surname as Hu stated: “As long as she represents China or no matter which country she represents, even though she fell, we have to be tolerant. There should be no politicization and narrow-mindedness to treat this matter; sportsmanship must come first.”
Her performance beat out China from third to fifth place in the team event on Sunday.
Zhu was born in 2002 in Los Angeles to Chinese parents and given the name Beverly.
Another identified as Hu Xijin, a prolific commentator who recently retired as editor-in-chief of the national Global Times Tabloid, wrote on his official Weibo account that the attacks on Yu were speculative and too much. He added: “I hope that some people will stop humiliating themselves and our country without any bottom line.” However, Yu had decided in 2018 to compete for China in the Olympics.
She started figure skating at age seven and in 2018 won the novice division when she competed at the United States Figure Skating Championships.
In 2018, she also decided to represent China in the Olympics, which she has achieved.
She was born in Los Angeles to Chinese parents and named Beverly, and grew up with a privileged background. Her father, Zhu Songchun, is an award-winning scientist who joined Beijing’s Peking University staff in 2020. He had previously worked at the University of California, Los Angeles. On the other hand, Yu, the Olympian, started figure skating when she was seven years old.
However, her father, Zhu Songchun, is an award-winning scientist who joined the staff at Beijing’s Peking University in 2020.
China has recruited dozen of foreign-born athletes, including Zhu, to compete on its Olympic teams.
Many Chinese citizens have since blasted Yu on online
