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Heading into the 2024 Summer Olympics<\/a>, headline-making American athletes like GOATed gymnast Simone Biles<\/a>,<\/strong> record-breaking swimmer Katie Ledecky,<\/strong> and star sprinter Sha\u2019Carri Richardson<\/strong> were already destined to rule the news cycle. But thanks to the power of social media, the Paris Games have also unleashed a crop of surprising main characters onto the internet, athletes who hail from every corner of the globe. Hordes of meme-making viewers have fallen in love with everyone from Team USA\u2019s resident \u201cpommel horse guy\u201d to a muffin-loving Norwegian swimmer\u2014competitors that, even if they never see an Olympic podium, deserve gold medals in pop culture. Ahead, a roundup of all the Olympic athletes who have gone unexpectedly viral in Paris.<\/p>\n South Korean Sharpshooter Kim Yeji<\/strong><\/p>\n This content can also be viewed on the site it originates<\/a> from.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n \u201cThe most aura I have ever seen in an image,\u201d one X user captioned a photo<\/a> of the 31-year-old sharpshooter as she positions her pistol. Her steely presence and no-frills vibe has drawn viewers to compare Kim to characters in Bond movies and The Matrix.<\/em> \u201cI hope she knows the internet is in love with her,\u201d one person commented<\/a>. Others simply refer to her as \u201cMother.\u201d<\/a> A first-time Olympian, already labeled a \u201cbreakout style star\u201d by GQ<\/em><\/a> for her ornate eyewear, Kim won silver at the women\u2019s 10-meter air pistol event, with her teammate Oh Ye-Jin<\/strong> taking gold.<\/p>\n Norwegian Swimmer Henrik Christiansen<\/strong><\/p>\n This content can also be viewed on the site it originates<\/a> from.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n Do you know the muffin man? That would be this 27-year-old Olympic swimmer from Norway, who is still awaiting his first medal\u2014but has won plenty of hearts for his viral odes to a certain breakfast pastry. Christiansen\u2019s love affair with the double-chocolate-chip muffin at Olympic village, which he rated<\/a> an 11\/10 on TikTok, began less than a week ago. In the days since, Christiansen has sampled several more of the muffins\u2014documenting his carb-loading journey in increasingly<\/a> theatrical<\/a> fashion<\/a> at his second Games since Rio in 2016.<\/p>\n American Rugby Player Ilona Maher<\/strong><\/p>\n This content can also be viewed on the site it originates<\/a> from.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n There is perhaps no Olympic athlete this year with as much internet finesse as Maher, whose sister Olivia<\/strong> coined the term \u201cgirl dinner\u201d on TikTok<\/a>. While competing at the Tokyo Games, the 27-year-old won fans for her blunt review<\/a> of the Olympic Village\u2019s cardboard beds and her unfiltered commentary<\/a> on the COVID-era dating scene: \u201cIt is not that easy to go up to a pack of six, seven Romanian volleyball players and shoot my shot.\u201d<\/p>\n At Paris, where she helped lead the US women\u2019s rugby team to a bronze medal, Maher has shared her love for wearing lipstick<\/a> while competing, expertly spoofed Love Island<\/em><\/a> at the \u201cOlympic Villa,\u201d and lured everyone from Jason Kelce<\/strong><\/a> to Snoop Dogg<\/strong><\/a> into her videos. Most importantly, she slammed body-shamers, telling her nearly 2 million TikTok followers: \u201cAll body types are worthy, from the smallest gymnast to the tallest volleyball player or rugby player to a shot-putter and a sprinter. All body types are beautiful and can do amazing things, so truly see yourself in these athletes and know that you can do it too.\u201d<\/p>\n American Gymnast Stephen Nedoroscik<\/strong><\/p>\n This content can also be viewed on the site it originates<\/a> from.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n Better known online as \u201cpommel horse guy,\u201d the 25-year-old Team USA member has emerged as a viral sensation simply for being himself. Nedoroscik is a single-event athlete, meaning that when he\u2019s not performing on the pommel horse, he can simply settle in for a nap<\/a> on the sidelines, where his bespectacled appearance has earned him comparisons to Superman<\/em>\u2019s Clark Kent<\/a>. When he\u2019s not turning in a near-perfect performance<\/a> on the pommel horse to help the men\u2019s US gymnastics team win its first Olympic medal since 2008, Nedoroscik can be found solving Rubik\u2019s cubes<\/a>. His profile has risen to such a degree that NBC even started an onscreen countdown clock<\/a> for \u201cNedoroscik Pommel\u201d in the corner of its video feed.<\/p>\n Italian Gymnast Giorgia Villa<\/strong><\/p>\n This content can also be viewed on the site it originates<\/a> from.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\nX content<\/h4>\n
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