Athletes spout off about Tokyo Olympics medals becoming scrap metal in 2 years.

In a bizarre turn of events, Chinese canoe athlete Zheng Pengfei has turned his own silver medal from the Tokyo Olympics into scrap metal. The 28-year-old shared a video on social media showing the once-prestigious medal that now appears to be rusted and degraded after being stored for two years.

Zheng, who was known for his expertise in canoeing events like the C1 200 meters, kayak single (K1) 200 meters, and Canoe sprint pair (C2) 1000 meters, posted the video with a tongue-in-cheek message. "I put this Olympic medal at home for nearly 2 years, today take out a look, so, into the scrap metal," he wrote on Weibo, China's popular microblogging platform.

The post sparked a series of reactions from netizens who were surprised to see the medal in such a state. Some people suggested that it was normal for silver medals to oxidize over time, while others joked about the quality of Chinese-made medals compared to those from other countries.

However, some commenters took offense at Zheng's mockery of his own achievement and questioned the message he was trying to convey. "It's one thing to make a joke out of yourself, but turning your own medal into scrap metal seems disrespectful," said one user.

Despite the mixed reactions, Zheng's post has drawn attention to the perceived differences in quality between medals from various countries. Some users even pointed out that Japanese Olympic medals, like the one shown in his video, are often made with higher-quality materials and considered more durable than their Chinese counterparts.

In conclusion, Zheng Pengfei's viral post has sparked a discussion about the quality of Olympics medals from different countries, with some users even suggesting that using Fukushima seawater might help improve the longevity of Chinese-made medals. It remains to be seen whether this incident will lead to any changes in the materials used for Olympic medals or the way athletes store their awards