Gossip mill Tokyo Olympics edition: How do Huang Xiaoming and Blackpink's Jennie come into the picture?

Huang Xiaoming and Chen Meng are cousins

Huang Xiaoming, 43, might be a famous Chinese actor but for now, he'll likely have to play second fiddle to a more popular relative. Chen Meng, the 27-year-old table tennis women's world number one, is his cousin.

Chen and Xiaoming's paternal grandmothers are sisters, and he has cheered on the Chinese team on social media in the past. She took the gold medal on Thursday (July 29) when she won against compatriot Sun Yingsha. Xiaoming then wrote on his Weibo: "Chen Meng's cousin is preparing her welcome feast now."

Interestingly, Chen's former table tennis partner on the Shandong Provincial Team is actor Allen Ren, who quit the game and went into showbiz after sustaining injuries. The 32-year-old gained fame after starring in the 2017 historical drama The Glory Of Tang Dynasty.

Blackpink's Jennie and Itzy's Yeji cheer on South Korean swimmer and fan Hwang Sun-woo

After South Korean Olympic swimmer Hwang Sun-woo revealed in an interview that he's a fan of Blackpink's Jennie and Itzy's Yeji, he's gotten some love from the two celebs.

On Tuesday (July 27), Yeji, 21, posted an Instagram Story on the girl group's account. Showing a picture of a finger heart, she wrote: "Hwang Sun-woo, good luck with the final that's about to take place! I'll be rooting for you too! Yeji."

The 18-year-old swimmer appeared to be star-struck when he shared the Story with a speechless emoji.

Then on July 29, Jennie posted a message on her Instagram Story: "I'm rooting for you, too. Let's go, Hwang Sun-woo!"

He shared the Story as well, with the caption: "My hands are shaking…"

TVB reporter apologises after gushing over Hong Kong Olympic fencing champ Cheung Ka Long during interview

Here's a fan who was thrilled to meet the gold medallist who's brought honour to his home, but she learnt that fangirling is best left behind the cameras.

Former beauty queen and TVB reporter Kelly Chan, 25, was tasked to interview Hong Kong Olympic champ Cheung Ka Long after he won gold in the men's individual foil fencing final on July 26.

Kelly ended up upsetting some netizens who accused her of interrupting Cheung several times during the interview. They also slammed her for making comments such as "I like you so much! What should I do?", "I want to call you 'Kam Ka Long'", and "The people of Hong Kong want me to blow you a flying kiss".

'Kam' is Cantonese for gold.

While she initially defended herself in a social media post, she was forced to remove it after intense backlash and later uploaded a handwritten apology on July 27.

"I'm very sorry for my immaturity and unprofessionalism," Kelly wrote. She also apologised to "everyone who was affected, the viewers, Cheung Ka Long, and TVB".

kwokkarpeng@asiaone.com