- The surnames of some Olympic athletes have been a topic of conversation
- In particular the German Robert Farken and the Australian Ollie Hoare
- Track and field stars raced against each other in 1500m heat in hilarious scenes
- German double sculls rower Julius Christ also a fan favourite in Paris
When it comes to the Olympic Games, sports fans around the world aren’t just interested in who wins gold medals.
Many observant fans have been quick to notice that in Paris, a number of unfortunate – but hilarious – athlete surnames have come together at the worst possible moment.
Whether it’s the German double sculls rower Julius Christ – abbreviated to J.Christ in competition – or his compatriot in athletics Robert Farken: sometimes you can’t help but laugh.
Australian comedian Danny McGinlay goes to X mocked ‘J. Christ’, posting: ‘Surely one of these guys has an unfair advantage on the water?’
“All that water is almost turning into wine,” joked another.
And when Farken took on Australian Oliver Hoare in the 1500m heats, the joke was immediately on, especially as the athletes stood next to each other during and after the race.
On Reddit, Olympic supporters had a jubilant day seeing Farken and Hoare together on the purple track in Paris.
‘She [runners] “I had that planned all along,” joked one supporter. Another said, “Haha, that’s a good one.”
When it comes to the Olympic Games, sports fans around the world aren’t just interested in who wins the gold medal (pictured are German track and field star Robert Farken and Australian Oliver Hoare)
German rower Julius Christ (left) was also a fan favourite at the Paris Games
China’s Daoyi Long and Zongyuan Wang after winning gold in the men’s 3m springboard
When in competition mode, the Chinese stars were an easy target for cheeky fans on social media
The fun was also increased in diving, with two Chinese divers as a duo with the surnames Long and Wang.
Ironically, they were the ones who had the last laugh, winning gold in the men’s 3m springboard.
And incredibly, during the swim, Canadian star Mary-Sophie Harvey sat in a lane next to American Claire Weinstein.
Harvey Weinstein is a famous American film producer, but also a convicted sex offender after misconduct when he was a major player in Hollywood.
Canadian swimming fan Emma Sachs spoke for many when she wrote on Twitter: ‘Maybe you shouldn’t have put the US and Canada side by side here.’
The Paris Games run until August 11, so there is still plenty of time for athletes to entertain the audience, regardless of whether they win a medal.