Reason behind Chinese divers' cosy celebration which left US silver medalist stunned

Loads of us have been left open-mouthed while watching the 2024 Olympics, but this US diver took the biscuit when her jaw dropped to the floor as she watched her Chinese competitors celebrate their triumph.

Kassidy Cook and her partner Sarah Bacon might have put in a silver medal-winning performance, but their polished routine in the women's synchronised 3-meter springboard final isn't the reason their going viral.

Instead, it's the gobsmacked look on Cook's face as she clocked onto how her opponents were celebrating, which has resulted in footage of the moment spreading like wildfire on social media.

On Saturday (27 July), Chinese divers Chen Yiwen, 25, and Chang Yani, 22, bagged gold medals during their Olympic debut after reigning victorious over the US and Team GB with a score of 337.68.

Cook and Bacon achieved 314.64, while Yasmine Harper and Scarlett Mew Jensen who were representing Great Britain bagged a score of 302.28, earning them bronze in Paris.

As you can imagine, China's athletes were over the moon with their success and as they posed for the money shot with their glittering gold medals on the podium, Yiwen swooped Yani up in her arms in a bridal carry.

The pair sweetly grinned as they took a series of pictures, but Cook ended up inadvertently photobombing their celebratory snaps - with a look of sheer bewilderment plastered across her face.

This obviously sent social media users into a frenzy, with people describing the image as 'priceless'.

One said: "That's the face of, 'Wait that's so cute, we should've done that too!'"

Another wrote: "The US team’s reaction is priceless! It’s always interesting to see how athletes from different countries respond to each other’s celebrations."

And a third joked: "Babe wake up, a new meme template just dropped."

Despite her apparent shock at their tactile display on the world stage, Cook then got Bacon on her back to pose with their silver medals, just as Harper and Jensen did while brandishing their bronze awards.

And according to online sleuths, the reason behind Yiwen and Yani's cosy celebration is that they are actually a couple in real life - so what better way to celebrate winning Olympic gold with your other half than a bridal carry, eh?

An account on X, @FootballReprt, then shared a picture of the pair that was taken from one of their social media accounts, showing Yani cuddling Yiwen as they took a mirror selfie.

The pair also both apparently have Instagram highlights which are brimming with shots of one another.

Regardless of whether they are romantically involved or not, sports fans have been left swooning over their adorable reaction to winning gold - but a lot of people reckon them being an item would be the icing on the cake.

One gushed: "Imagine winning a gold medal, at the Olympics, with the person you love."

A second commented: "Achieving a dream together on the world's biggest stage. Unreal."

While another chimed in: "Cute couple, would be pretty amazing to be in relationship so directly and completely connected to your day job. Talk about an integrated life."