A woman has gone viral for her heartfelt gesture to uplift disappointed athletes at the Paris Olympic Games.
Hannah Hall (@hannahwalksinhalls) shared a video of herself and her family clapping for the disappointed athletes who missed out on medals. The video quickly gained traction, amassing 239,100 likes and 838,600 views.
"We were so sad for them and tried to cheer all of them on," Hall captioned the video.
In the footage, Hall captured a series of forlorn table tennis players from various countries, including Australia, Romania, Thailand, Poland, Fiji, Algeria, Senegal, and Ukraine, as they exited the arena.
Hall, 20, who is Franco-American and grew up in Paris, was fortunate enough to win tickets for her family through the Olympic lottery. During the first four matches of table tennis on July 29, she and her sister noticed how upset the losing athletes appeared as they left their matches.
"My sister and I saw how sad the ones who hadn't been clapped for looked, so after the first four games, we started cheering especially loud," Hall explained. "We stood up when they walked by, and even got my brothers, husband, and brother-in-law to join in!"
"I felt a sense of pride clapping for the losing teams because that's what the Olympics are all about: sportsmanship.
"I wanted to make sure these athletes knew how incredible they were for even making it to the Olympics—not many people can say that. There is so much sadness, death, discrimination, and anger in the world, and I love that the Olympics has a way of bringing us all together and uniting us, even if only for a bit," the full-time college student told Newsweek.
The Men's and Women's Singles Round of 64 saw several intense matches.
Notable victories from the event included Fan Zhendong from China, who is renowned in the sport and progressed to the next round.
However, many others saw their Olympic dreams come to an end as they were eliminated from the competition.
Olympic crowd etiquette encourages spectators to support all athletes, win or lose. According to the official guidelines, fans are urged to show respect and appreciation for the efforts of every competitor to honor the three values of Olympism—excellence, respect and friendship.
Users on social media were equally moved by Hall's kind-hearted act.
"They look so sad, but they REACHED THE OLYMPICS—they are still winners in our eyes," one viewer commented.
"I'm crying. You did well, guys. Don't forget you're the best in your country," added another.
"I've been crying a lot since the Olympics started. Seeing these beautiful and dedicated strangers in my feed makes me appreciate the beauty of humanity that sometimes goes unnoticed. You all did well," another viewer shared.
"This is amazing. Seeing some of them smile and acknowledging the support is beautiful. Knowing how hard they worked to represent their countries, they should be extremely proud of themselves," said another user.
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