Mainland Chinese internet users are delighted by the arm-wrestling defeat of a male student by a female schoolmate in a competition in front of their peers.
The arm-wrestling bout was held during a break in the military-style physical training on campus at Beijing Sport University on September 13, according to a Xinhua report.
The physical training is compulsory for all new students at China’s secondary schools and universities and lasts from several days to two weeks depending on student age. The programme is designed to strengthen students’ willingness and boost their discipline.
The first-year university students organised one-on-one competitions for entertainment during breaks in the demanding physical training schedule.
An arm-wrestling competition attracted many spectators who were keen to watch the tussle between a male student who majors in gymnastics and a woman student who studies weight-lifting.
The female student, whose powerful arm muscles caught a lot of people’s attention, appears to have the advantage over her rival from the beginning of the match, according to a video taken by an observer in the audience and shared on Douyin by the male student.
The man apparently spares no effort in trying to win, with his face turning red and blue veins protruding on his neck.
As the woman student refuses to give way, he tries harder and the video shows that in the second half of the competition he even gets to his feet to try and exert more strength.
Half a minute later, the female student wins the match and the on-site spectators burst into loud cheers, saluting her victory.
The video of the arm-wrestling competition has captivated mainland social media, gaining more than 1.1 million likes on Douyin and 3,000 likes on Weibo.
Social media observers had a lot to say about the match.
“Both of them lost the game because they have lost the chance of finding future partners,” joked one observer, adding: “The girl has this enormous strength and very few men could match her. The boy is a bit too weak, so no girl likes this type of man.”
Another commenter remarked on the male student’s effort, saying: “He tried so hard and even his scalp is contributing to his strength, ha.”
A third commenter was caustic: “Bro, everybody knows that you failed in the arm- wrestling against a girl.”