Chinese gymnast Zhou Yaqin helps parents at their restaurant after winning silver medal at Paris Olympics 2024

Chinese gymnast Zhou Yaqin has captured the hearts of many, not just for her impressive silver medal win at the Paris Olympics 2024, but also for her humility. Following her success on the world stage, the 18-year-old gymnast returned to her hometown of Hengyang City in Hunan Province to assist her parents at their restaurant. Located on Furong Road in the Nanyue District, the restaurant became the backdrop of a viral video showing Zhou serving food to customers, demonstrating her dedication to her family despite her recent Olympic triumph.

Zhou Yaqin secured her silver medal in the women’s balance beam event at the Paris Olympics, scoring 14.100 in the final, just 0.766 points short of her qualification score of 14.866. She was edged out for the gold by Italy’s Alice D’Amato. Zhou’s endearing moment during the medal ceremony, where she imitated her fellow gymnasts by biting her medal for the cameras, also went viral on social media, further endearing her to fans around the world.

After the video of Zhou helping at her parents’ restaurant surfaced online, netizens praised her for her humility and hard work, lauding her willingness to return to her roots despite her recent Olympic success. In addition to her silver medal in the balance beam, Zhou was part of the Chinese team in the all-around and women’s floor individual events at the Olympics, although she did not win additional medals. Earlier this year, Zhou also earned a silver medal at the World Gymnastics Championships.

Zhou was one of five gymnasts representing China at the Paris Olympics, alongside Luo Huan, Ou Yushan, Qiu Qiyuan, and Zhang Yihan. The Chinese women’s gymnastics team secured two medals, with Zhou’s silver in the balance beam and Qiu Qiyuan’s silver in the uneven bars.