A slew of Olympians recently revealed that they are huge K-pop fans. Chloe Kim, Evgenia Medvedeva, and more also named their favorite singers and artists.
Kim, an American gold medalist snowboarder, said that she listens to CL before competing at the Olympics. Last year, she also revealed that she is a massive fan of Super Junior, Girls' Generation, and more.
The 17-year-old athlete, who was born and raised in California, admitted to being a tourist in her parents' hometown of South Korea. She said that she has visited South Korea several times before, but she still gets lost sometimes. Her love for K-pop bands definitely ties her to her roots.
Medvedeva, a Russian figure skater, revealed that she listened to EXO before her performance on Sunday. The 18-year-old athlete previously uploaded videos of herself dancing to EXO's and BTS' songs via her YouTube channel. Medvedeva also has autographs and letters from some of the members of EXO.
"It's unreal inspiration and it really improved my mood. I feel more confident because of them," said Medvedeva.
Medvedeva broke a foot last fall, and she struggled to recover in time for the Olympics. Her two-year unbeaten record ended with her ranking second at the European championships alongside her partner Alina Zagitova. The teenager only found out that she will be participating at this year's Winter Olympics in December.
South Korean Olympians Love K-Pop
Aside from Kim and Medvedeva, majority of the South Korean athletes at this year's Olympics are also huge fans of various K-pop groups. Lim Hyojun, a short track speed skater, is a fan of Joy from Red Velvet. Jeong Haerim, a snowboarder, is obsessed with Super Junior. Lee Yubin, a short track speed skater, relieves stress from the competition by listening to BTS.
The contestants at this year's Olympics, who also happen to be K-pop fans, were all ecstatic to learn that various K-pop bands and singers will be featured at the sports event. During the opening ceremony on Friday, Feb. 9, BTS's song "DNA," Big Bang's song "Fantastic Baby," and Twice's song "Likey" were all played at the venue. When the United States teams arrived, Psy's 2012 hit song "Gangnam Style" was also played.
CL and EXO will reportedly perform at the closing ceremony of the 2018 Winter Olympics. Details about the songs they will sing are still being kept under wraps.
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