Chinese interview with Olympian slated for "manly woman" label and marriage talk

An interview with Olympic gold medallist Gong Lijiao by the Chinese media has been labelled sexist and narrow-minded following her victory in the women's shot put final.

The 32-year-old sensation from Hebei shrugged off the challenge of Raven Saunders and Valerie Adams to throw a massive 20.58 meters in the Tokyo 2020 final last Sunday.

The gold medal came after bronze in Beijing and silver in London, making her one of an elite group of athletes to win one of each across three different games.

Despite her achievement helping China reach 36 gold medals and 79 in total at the current event, she wasn't exclusively asked about her achievements in an interview conducted by her native media representatives.

Lijiao had said: "I may look like a manly woman on the outside, but inside I'm still more of a girl."

As reported by the BBC, a male journalist then asked: "Do you have any plans for a woman's life?"

Before a female journalist added when Lijiao asked what was meant by the question: "Since you used to be a manly woman for shot put, do you feel you can be yourself from now on?

Lijiao then continued: "Um… maybe I'll look at my plans. If I don't train then perhaps I will lose weight, get married and have children. Yes, it's the path one must take in life."

What are your thoughts on the questions? Tell us in the comments section

One Twitter user said in response: "Why can’t people just except you for what you are."

With another adding: "Gong Lijiao might have asked the interviewer for questions with greater imagination. Well done on you Olympic achievement."

A third said: "Such a kind smile, an accomplished athlete and people are talking about marriage… Hoping the best for her!"

In a message that earned a response from the athlete herself, one user of microblogging platform Weibo questioned why she was not asked about her sporting achievements.

It read: "It's not that she can't get married, it's that no man is her match… when we talk about women, it's not just about marriage or looks, but also dreams and achievements."

To which Lijiao wrote: "This totally expresses what I feel! Thank you!"

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