An Olympic jumper who just earned gold at the international competition has been making references to Attack on Titan throughout his events.
Since it only finished last year, Attack on Titan‘s influence continues to reverberate strongly. Some are even taking it the world’s stage, as evidenced by Jordan Díaz, the Cuban triple-jumper who managed to get a gold medal for Spain at this year’s Olympics.
The 23-years-old athlete, who’s partaking in his second major sporting competition at the Paris Summer Olympics, got the gold medal in the triple jump.
The accomplishment comes hot on the heels of his first big event, at the European Athletics Championships in Rome this summer, where he not only took gold in the same sports, but set the all-time third best world record, of 18.18 meters.
Jordan Diaz referencing Attack on Titan at the Paris Olympics pic.twitter.com/H5gdZZAmXT
— Anime Craze (@crazedanime_) August 10, 2024
During the games in France, he’s been tapping into the energy of Eren Yaeger and the Survey Corps. At one point, he bit his hand, like Eren does when he’s transforming into Titan, and in another instance he does the Survey Corps salute.
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Subtle references, but unmistakable if you know what you’re looking at. Díaz almost wasn’t able to partake in these Olympics, since he defected from Cuba in 2021, disqualifying him from the Tokyo Olympics. It was only in June 2024 that he was bureaucratically cleared to represent Spain.
His rituals have clearly helped him find the energy needed to be the top competitor. He’s not alone in his love of the best anime, since runner Noah Lyles has been tapping into the heart of the cards with Yu-Gi-Oh lucky charms.
Others have been making nods to One Piece as well. Protagonists in these franchises are known for being dedicated individuals who refuse to give up, no matter the odds. Turns out they’d all be gold medallists if we ever saw them at the Olympic games!