Olympian Bruno Fratus Unintentionally Recreates Biting Medal Meme After Finishing Third

Bruno Fratus made history this week becoming the oldest swimmer to win their first medal at the Olympic Games.

The Brazilian athlete claimed a bronze medal in the 50m men's freestyle race.

But while it was a milestone for him and the country he represents, the 32-year-old also managed to accidentally replicate an iconic meme during the medal presentation.

Last year, a Russian artist created a sketch called 'Never give up!', which shows a man winning a bronze medal and really, really enjoying it.

In a series of images, the athlete can be seen celebrating his achievement, biting his medal, kissing a woman dishing out the prizes, sticking his middle fingers up to the camera and popping a large bottle of champagne, spraying it over the crowd.

Now, while he didn't swear at the crowd and there was no champers to pop (Covid), Fratus enjoyed his moment of glory, and rightly so.

And it didn't take long for viewers to make the comparison.

Sharing a side-by-side of Fratus' celebrations and the meme, one user said: "It happened."

But while some people don't believe that silver or bronze medals deserve praise, most of us appreciate the hard work and dedication it takes to reach that level.

Congratulating Fratus, one user said: "Even if he didn't get first, he still made his country proud."

Another echoed this, commenting: "Many times we value only 1st place but lose sight of the amount of work & difficulty just to reach the podium.

"Not just in sports but any goals that we work for. Happy to see not just the hard work paying off but also the appreciation & positive vibe to the earned accomplishment."

While a third added: "He might be 3rd place, but he's still a winner."

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Biting the medal has become a tradition for competitors over the years, but why do they do it?

Well, with gold famously being a malleable metal, biting down on it was an easy way of determining whether or not it was real.

Over the years, though, it has become commonplace for athletes who get a gold, silver or bronze to pretend to take a chunk out of their medal.

Speaking to CNN, David Wallechinsky, president of the International Society of Olympic Historians, said: "It's become an obsession with the photographers.

"I think they look at it as an iconic shot, as something that you can probably sell. I don't think it's something the athletes would probably do on their own."

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The Tokyo Organising Committee even addressed the tradition at this year's games.

In a tweet, the body joked: "We just want to officially confirm that the #Tokyo2020 medals are not edible!

"Our gold, silver and bronze medals are made from material recycled from electronic devices donated by the Japanese public.

"So, you don't have to bite them... but we know you still will."

In another tweet, including a picture of athletes having a go at their medals, the organisers quipped: "You got to take the wrapper off first to get to the chocolate on the inside!

"A huge congratulations to every medallist, athlete, official, volunteer, and the fans who made today special."

Topics: olympic games, Tokyo Olympics, Funny, Brazil, Japan

Dominic Smithers

Dominic graduated from the University of Leeds with a degree in French and History. Like you, Dom has often questioned how much use a second language has been. Well, after stints working at the Manchester Evening News, the Accrington Observer and the Macclesfield Express, along with never setting foot in France, he realised the answer is surprisingly little. But I guess, c'est la vie. Contact us at [email protected]

@SmithersDom