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Paris Olympics: Leon Marchand’s ‘snub’ to Wang Shun’s coach upsets Weibo users

  • In the short clip, the French swimmer appears to ignore the outstretched hand, though it is unclear if it is intentional

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China’s bronze medallist Wang Shun (right) shares a selfie with Leon Marchand (centre), who won gold and Great Britain’s Duncan Scott (left). Photo: Xinhua

Following Wang Shun’s bronze-medal finish in the 200-metre individual medley, his coach extended a congratulatory handshake to Leon Marchand, who won gold, but appeared to be met with a cold shoulder.

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The incident caused a fervent reaction on Weibo, though it is important to note it is unclear whether a handshake was forthcoming after the short clip available.

In the clip, Shun’s coach Zhi Zhigen stretched his arm toward Marchand, as he was ducking under a barrier but appeared to walk straight past him.

The incident comes off the back of fellow Chinese swimmer Pan Zhanle’s claim that he was disrespected by opponents from Australia and the United States.

“Originally, some people said that Pan’s statement didn’t have any evidence, but now they have directly sent you a high-definition video... The white people really shouldn’t be so arrogant and impolite,” one wrote on Weibo.

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