Many of these moments have been immortalised in pop culture through memes. However, none has captured the hearts of the internet quite like Zhou Yaqin’s innocent and adorable medal-biting video.

she didn’t actually bite the medal. “Just holds it in front of her mouth!” one X user pointed out. “I love it.” The wholesome moment interaction has spurred memes and reactions.

Biles, the eventual individual all-around winner, chose a crunching sound as she and her teammates mimed biting their gold medals in a TikTok ... of Olympic athletes meme-ing and becoming memes ...

So if athletes aren’t double-checking the metallurgic integrity of their hard-earned prize, why do they go through the effort of biting into their medals? Mostly, it’s for the sake of appearances.

This is a thing for every Olympics: whenever anyone wins a medal, whether it’s gold, silver or bronze, there are pictures of the winners biting the thing. If you’re wondering what the deal ...

she didn’t actually bite the medal. “Just holds it in front of her mouth!” one X user pointed out. “I love it.” The wholesome moment interaction has spurred memes and reactions.

Some athletes bite hard enough to etch a mark, akin to fingerprints, making their medals uniquely their own. At the 2010 Winter Olympics, David Moeller, a member of Germany’s Olympic team, might ...