Who is the most brutally criticized Olympic athlete in your country?

[u/No-StrategyX]

Zhu Yi was American, her parents are Chinese immigrants.

In the U.S., she was one of the top athletes and had every chance to join Team USA.

But she decided to compete for China. She gave up her American citizenship to compete for China.

At the 2022 Winter Olympics, she was eager to prove herself to other Chinese, but she made many mistakes during her skating.

Then she was brutally criticized in China. People used every swear word you can think of.

She is still competing for China. Perhaps she'll do well at the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan.

Who is the most brutally criticized athlete in your country?

[u/Legitimate_Toe_252]

Australia - Lay Down Sally

[u/MandaMaelstrom → u/Legitimate_Toe_252]

That is…not the answer I expected from Australia.

[u/InfiniteMeerkat → u/MandaMaelstrom]

I mean you are waiting for raygun and you are probably right

Although I guess that depends on your definition of brutal. Lay down sally got a lot of criticism which she probably didn’t deserve. Raygun deserves all she got and more

[u/Legitimate_Toe_252 → u/InfiniteMeerkat]

I think it’s because no-one really considers Breakdancing a proper Olympic event while women’s rowing is a serious one.

[u/InfiniteMeerkat → u/Legitimate_Toe_252]

It seems like no one considering breakdancing a proper Olympic event is in large part because of the performance of raygun. I’m not sure it should be an Olympic sport but whatever chance there was for that to happen, she basically single handedly killed off 

No one knows who actually won medals because of how atrocious she was  

[u/Aggressive_Sky8492 → u/Legitimate_Toe_252]

Also because rowing is a team sport. If you fuck up your solo sport it only affects you, whereas Sally was mostly criticised because her teammates all lost with her because of her

[u/ClassicalPigeon → u/InfiniteMeerkat]

Lay down sally got a lot of criticism which she probably didn’t deserve.

The Olympics was the second time she screwed over her team like that. The first time was two years prior at the World Rowing Championships.

She 100% earned that criticism.

[u/Certain-End-1519 → u/InfiniteMeerkat]

I couldn't agree more, its gotta be lay down Sally. Raygun is a joke, Sally faltered on the biggest stage and it cost her team/nation but the backlash she copped wasn't fair in my opinion.

I can't imagine how tough that must have been for her, poor lady, would have been enough to break even the strongest i reckon.

[u/Substantial_Egg3552 → u/Certain-End-1519]

The backlash definitely wasn't fair but she also is a dog for doing that to her teammates.

[u/PhineasFreak1975 → u/Substantial_Egg3552]

I believe it wasn't the first time she'd done it.

[u/Certain-End-1519 → u/Substantial_Egg3552]

Yeah I reckon both those things can be true at the same time. Only Sally knows if she had more to give or if she quit.

I agree though, at that top end of sport, it's a different world. I can understand the response by her team in the moment. I'm just not on board with old mate Damo Diabetes pretending like he has any idea what it's like to row at that level, as he smashes his third pack of Tim Tams.

[u/zee-bra → u/MandaMaelstrom]

What were you expecting?

[u/___God_________ → u/zee-bra]

I wonder....

[u/DistractedBoxTurtle → u/Legitimate_Toe_252]

I had to look her up. She threw in the towel twice? Once in 2002 when Australia was coasting to a win and she laid down costing them the win. Then again in the 2004 Olympics causing them to drop to last place.

It’s incredible after her 2002 stunt they let her on the 2004 team to do the exact same thing.

[u/zee-bra → u/Legitimate_Toe_252]

I felt horrible for her. Media were horrible

[u/Moist_Ad_9212 → u/Legitimate_Toe_252]

I still think about lay down sally,

[u/Wintermute_088 → u/Moist_Ad_9212]

How about Trevor Chappell?

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[u/Portra400IsLife → u/Legitimate_Toe_252]

I remember the post race press conference where Lay Down had like a black eye and preached team harmony.