At the 2024 Olympic Games, the best athletes in the world will compete in their disciplines. One participant has already shown at the last competition that he is a big fan of One Piece. Now he demonstrates in Paris that his love for the manga and anime has not faded.
What did he show? When shot putter Payton Otterdahl enters the Olympic Games, he suddenly pretends to inflate his arm. Shortly after, he takes a fighting stance and bounces up and down on the spot.
The pose may be familiar to all One Piece fans, as the athlete mimics Luffy’s Gear 4 with the pose. The following tweet shows how well Otterdahl has captured the Straw Hat Captain:
Especially funny: Otterdahl is a shot putter. It would help him if he could inflate his arms as strong as Luffy. In the Gear 4 form of the Boundman, the rubber man gets a muscular upper body, while the legs merely serve as makeshift support.
Did it help him? Otterdahl just missed the podium. Thanks to his newfound motivation, he threw his shot put so far that he made it to 4th place. Compared to his first Olympic appearance four years ago, this is an improvement.
Maybe next time Otterdahl can apply Gear 5. With the powers, Luffy nullifies the laws of physics. Perhaps it helps Otterdahl throw the shot put even further to land on the podium.
You can see Luffy’s Gear 4 in the following movie:
Shot Putter is a Big Fan of One Piece
Where do we know the athlete from? Otterdahl already showed at the last Olympics that he is a big fan of One Piece. Back then he replicated Franky’s Super Pose, stretching his arms to the sky. He only finished 10th, so 4th place is an improvement for him (via Team USA).
He is not the only athlete expressing his love for anime. Noah Lyles has also shown multiple times that he is a fan of anime. For the 2024 Olympic Games, he prepared a Kamehameha.
What do others say about it? Under a TikTok video, many fans write that they flipped out in front of the screen. They are excited that the anime is ubiquitous, even in sports.
Under the tweet from yonkoluffyszn, even the account from Toei Animation, which is responsible for the release in North America and other regions, applauded. The Gear 4 pose certainly made a significant impact.
Meanwhile, Luffy has become stronger and reached an even better level. His Gear 5 resembles the effects that appear in numerous comics: One Piece: Luffy has now become even stronger and resembles Tom and Jerry
