Olympic volleyball player Valentina Gottardi goes viral

The 2024 Paris Olympics have been full of viral moments and events, dominating the sports news stream since it began. Much of it, however, has been negative press due to numerous controversies. Outside the polarizing opening ceremony performance many deemed anti-Christian, conspiracy theorists have continued to circulate rumors about boxer Imane Khelif. After her opponent Angela Carini forfeited the match in under a minute, Khelif had to face the hordes of hate and set the record straight on her gender.

Fortunately, the Paris Olympics entered the news stream for a more positive reason this past weekend. As she continues to work her way through the beach volleyball tournament, 21-year-old Valentina Gottardi has gone viral on Instagram for photos highlighting her representation of Italy.

In just a short time during their match against the US team, Gottardi gained roughly 17,500 new followers.

Now, less than 12 hours later, she has crossed the 71,000 follower threshold and still growing. Unfortunately, Italy exited the tournament after their defeat at the hands of the American team, sending the US to the quarterfinals. Though she could not pull out the victory, Valentina Gottardi can rest assured that she has enough fans to last a lifetime.