Fans Call for Olympic Gold Medalist to Take a DNA Test After Dominant Performance
Editor’s Note: Our readers responded strongly to this story when it originally ran; we’re reposting it here in case you missed it.
Australians are calling for Canadian Olympic gold medalist Ethan Katzberg to get a DNA test because his appearance strikes them as being from down under.
Katzberg, 22, won the men’s hammer throw competition Aug. 4 with a monster throw of 84.12 meters.
By comparison silver medalist Bence Halasz of Hungary threw the hammer 79.97 meters, and Ukraine’s Mykhalo Kokhan won bronze with a 79.39 meters toss.
He’s the youngest man in the competition. He hit 84m in the first Hamer throw. Canada’s golden man Ethan Katzberg just misses the Olympic record but takes gold. His coach Dylan Armstrong was a Sydney Olympic bronze medal in Shot put. Canada a hammer throw nation. Who knew? pic.twitter.com/MEDvgZMclx
— Barrie Shepley (@Barrieshepley) August 4, 2024
Katzberg is the first Canadian to win Olympic gold in the hammer throw, and the youngest ever champion in the event.
Smile if you’re the first Canadian man to win a gold medal in hammer throw at the Olympics! 😃
Ethan Katzberg, the youngest ever hammer throw Olympic champion. 🥇
📸: Mark Blinch/COC pic.twitter.com/O4PT1q8eY6
— Team Canada (@TeamCanada) August 5, 2024
However, people on social media are convinced he’s from Australia.
“Nah I want a DNA test this man is clearly Australian,” one person said on X.
Nah I want a DNA test this man is clearly Australian pic.twitter.com/jkAFpuqQRB
— Ross McCafferty (@RossMcCaff) August 4, 2024
Another responded to the post, “Canadians are Northern Hemisphere Australians. Request denied.”
Canadians are Northern Hemisphere Australians. Request denied.
— Doug Garrison (@DH_Garrison) August 5, 2024
Another quipped, “They’re just appropriating the Aussie male look.”
News.com.au reported that Aussies said there is no need for a DNA test, convinced he’s the character Toadfish Rebecchi from the long-running Australian soap opera “Neighbours.”
Toadfish sported long hair back in the day.
He’s been iconic from the moment he stepped foot into Erinsborough and aside from the (amazing) mullet, not much has changed. Here’s wishing Ryan Moloney a toadally awesome birthday! #Neighbours pic.twitter.com/lbPjFB8f2C
— Neighbours (@neighbours) November 24, 2020
Katzberg told the CBC that he has no plans to change his mustache or hair, though he acknowledged that he and fellow Canadian hammer thrower Rowan Hamilton often get mistaken for each other.
‘I’m not changing anything about the moustache or hair’
Ethan Katzberg on if his hammer throw doppelganger should change his look now that he’s won gold.
Tune in every night on CBC Gem and CBC Sports YouTube channel at 11pm ET.#ParisTonight presented by @smartwater pic.twitter.com/6gCIt4YgnG
— CBC Olympics (@CBCOlympics) August 6, 2024
“It just happened to be that we chose the same look, and now we get confused all the time,” Katzberg said. “But it’s good fun, and we’ve kind of enjoyed hearing what people have to say about us.”
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