Highlights
- Olympic runner Yared Nuguse is a big Splatoon fan, even referring to himself as a "Profreshional" runner on his bio.
- Nuguse recently won a Bronze medal at the Paris Olympics, coming in third in the 1500 Meter race by a fraction of a second.
- Despite his success in running, Nuguse also finds time to play Splatoon and Mario Kart, showcasing the growing trend of athletes enjoying video games.
A middle-distance runner named Yared Nuguse who just won a medal for the USA at the Paris Olympics is a big Splatoon fan. The recent discovery has the Splatoon community delighted and happy for his success.
It's no secret that celebrities all over the world enjoy video games. While not everyone has time to play games as much as they'd like, even the most decorated Olympic medalist of all time plays Call of Duty. However, this may be the first known instance of an Olympic winner enjoying the ink shooter Splatoon.
It recently came to light that Yared Nuguse really enjoys Splatoon. The Olympian has shared on his Instagram page that he really likes playing the game. The medalist even goes so far as to refer to himself as a "Profreshional" runner on his bio, which as fans of the game know, is a reference to a specific ranking in Splatoon, and has featured an image of himself wearing a Splatoon 3 jacket based on Grizzco and the Salmon Run game mode.
Splatoon 3 Player Brings Home the Medal for Team USA
Splatoon players have special reason to celebrate, then, as the middle-distance runner for Team USA just brought home the Bronze medal in the Olympic 1500 Meter race. It was an incredibly race, with Nuguse coming in third at 3:27.79, with the Silver medalist passing him by just one one-hundredth of a second. His fellow Team USA compatriot won Gold at 3:27.65, meaning the three racers were only separated by a quarter of a second at most. While there may be other Olympians who like Splatoon, it doesn't seem any of them have been outspoken about it like Nuguse.
Many Splatoon fans seem delighted by the fact that someone who's so proud of being a fan of the series is now also an Olympic medalist. While Nuguse's races in the 2024 Olympics are over, the racer has also previously won Silver in the 3000 m World Indoor Championships in 2023. His record for indoor mile running also places him as the second-fastest indoor mile runner of all time.
Somehow, Nuguse manages to find time to train to this level of expertise while playing Splatoon and Mario Kart on the side. Perhaps the portable nature of the Nintendo Switch makes this easier for the athlete. In any case, as gaming becomes even more widespread and accessible, chances are many more Olympic athletes will list video games as one of their favorite hobbies in the future when they're not practicing their sport.
OpenCritic Reviews Top Critic Rating:83/100 Critics Recommend:93% Franchise Splatoon Platform(s) Switch Released September 9, 2022 Developer(s) Nintendo Publisher(s) Nintendo ESRB E10+ for Everyone 10+: Cartoon Violence Expand See at Amazon
