Photo: Li Hao/GT

Viewed by more than 400 million netizens on Sina Weibo, an earnest apology from Chinese gymnast Su Weide is now a trending topic online following his two costly slips during the men's gymnastics team final at the Paris 2024 Olympics on Monday. 

Apart from the 24-year-old Su who was originally a bench to the final competition, the Chinese team includes members like captain Zhang Boheng, Liu Yang, Zou Jingyuan and Xiao Ruoteng, who is going to retire after the Paris Games. 

Finishing the whole repertoire with 259.062 points, Team China has secured a decent silver medal by competing with its longstanding rivals of gold and bronze medalists Japan and the US. 

Chinese athletes nailed three points ahead of them after rivaling in first five events, but a U-turn occurred when Su fell down twice from the horizontal bar - which led the championship title to go to Japan. Prior to Su, veteran Xiao had nearly kneeled down when landing on the mat. 

A medal of silver is applaudable, but the disappointment of Team China has been overt too. Xiao was seen crying after the competition, and he said that he has "complex emotions" to the result. In a post-match interview, Su said the game is a "major lesson to his life," and he apologized to his teammates. 

"I owe an apology to the team, especially my older brothers in the team. They have given so much efforts to it despite experiencing injuries. They have made it to the Olympic, but missed the gold medal due to my mistakes," Su said. 

Not only the team's captain Zhang Boheng showed support by shielding Su from media's inquiry, the young gymnast's remark have earned fans' understanding. On Sina Weibo, some netizens asked Su to stop blaming himself and feeling guilty. 

"No apology needed, and I have trust in you," one netizen posted on Sina Weibo. 

"Sports is meant to be full of uncertainties, and let's not ignore that Su was performing under incredible pressure," Wang Jieming, a fan of Chinese gymnastics, told the Global Times. Su was assigned to replace gymnast Sun Wei to compete in the final match merely 48 hours prior to the Olympics' opening. On July 24, Sun was injured during a vault training session in Paris. 

Shi Jian, a sport industry insider, told the Global Times that Chinese team's waterloo of this time is a source of reflection on issues like "the training system of Chinese gymnastic team" and "competition strategies." 

Also on Sina Weibo, retired Chinese gymnastic star Li Xiaopeng has also voiced up to support the Team China by noting Chinese gymnasts' resilient spirit. 

"Missing the gold medal is indeed regretful, but I see their strengths and resilience! Keep going and try harder for the next game!" Li remarked.