Chinese table tennis Olympic gold medalist Chen Meng (left) and Chinese actor Huang Xiaoming (right) celebrating Chinese New Year in 2022. The two are cousins. Photo: Chen Meng/Weibo
Chinese actor Huang Xiaoming is spreading the joy after his cousin, Chinese table tennis athlete Chen Meng, took home an Olympic gold medal.
The 46-year-old star celebrated on Weibo after Chen, 30, defeated her Chinese teammate Sun Yingsha in the women’s table tennis singles final on Aug 3 to win the gold medal at the Paris Olympics with a final score of 4-2.
She is the third woman in history to win back-to-back Olympic golds in the event, after topping the podium in Tokyo in 2021.
Huang wrote on Weibo: “Thanks to the two athletes for giving us such an exciting match. It made me lose my breath! These girls are all the best!
“Congratulations to Mengmeng (a nickname for Chen), you did it! You handled all the pressure and once again proved yourself with your abilities! You will always be our pride! All the hard work and sweat have been worth it, keep fighting on for your upcoming competitions!”
That is not all. According to Chinese news reports, Huang even gave out 100 digital red packets. He sent the money to various contacts on the Chinese messaging platform Wechat, which has virtual wallet and payment capabilities, to celebrate the occasion.
In a screenshot of a Wechat chat group circulating on Weibo, Huang said: “There are more people congratulating me for my little sister (referencing Chen) winning a gold medal than when I won Best Actor.”
Huang has won multiple Best Actor accolades at major Chinese film awards. He took home Best Actor in 2020 for firefighting drama The Bravest (2019) at both the Golden Rooster Awards and the Hundred Flowers Awards. – The Straits Times/Asia News Network
