Olympic viewers demand athlete takes DNA test after spotting noticeable look during Paris games

As a professional athlete, there's no bigger sporting stage to show off your keen eye for style - as well as your medal-winning abilities, of course - than the Olympics.

And this week, a Canadian hammer-thrower has hit the headlines for his eye-catching look, with some spectators even demanding he take a DNA test for a pretty astounding reason.

When it comes to visual presentation at this year's sporting tournament in Paris, several athletes have been praised for breaking the mould and taking a no-nonsense approach to image-based criticism.

One instance saw Team USA legend Simone Biles - who also happens to be the most decorated gymnast in history, just saying - hitting back at cruel taunts aimed at the way her hair looked.

"Gonna hold your hand when I say this. Next time you wanna comment on a Black girl’s hair. JUST DON’T," she penned online.

And American rugby star Ilona Maher also boasted an incredible response to comments about her body mass index.

After one hater penned, 'I bet that person has a 30% BMI' online, she sensationally hit back: "Hi, thank you for this comment, I think you were trying to roast me. But this actually a fact, I do have a BMI of 30, well 29.3 to be more exact."

And as we say, it is today the turn of Canadian hammer-thrower Ethan Katzberg to hit the headlines over his proudly unique look, after a batch of fans implored him to be genetically tested.

For those unfamiliar with the 22-year-old Canadian Olympian, Katzberg famously dons a pretty distinctive look.

As well as his thick and full moustache, he also bears a lengthy curled mullet, which falls all the way past his shoulders.

Though the sportsman hails from the tiny harbour city of Nanaimo - on the east coast of Vancouver Island, in British Columbia - some viewers are adamant that Katzberg has some heritage Down Under.

Taking to social media, one spectator teased: "Nah I want a DNA test, this man is clearly Australian," as another went on to joke: "Canadians are Northern Hemisphere Australians. Request denied."

"They're just appropriating the Aussie male look," a third continued.

Thankfully, however, it isn't just Katzberg's signature look that has gained him mass media attention.

After a nail-biting round of finals, the rising star won a gold medal in his category on Sunday (4 Aug), after he beat silver medalist, Hungary's Bence Halasz, and third place star, Ukraine's Mykhaylo Kokhan.

Olympics 2024 highlights - the biggest moments so far

Anthony Ammirati's penis costs him his medal

The 21-year-old French pole vaulter attempted to clear the 5.70 metres on 3 August when his knee - along with his private parts - got in the way, shattering his Olympic dreams.

Iconic shooter Yusuf Dikec wins silver medal with 'no equipment'

Turkey's Yusuf Dikec took a laid back approach when he was spotted looking incredibly relaxed with one hand in his pocket and without any shooting gear on.

It all paid off though as he took home the silver along with his partner Sevval Ilayda Tarhan.

Noah Lyles' 100m victory

Setting a new personal best, Lyles came out on top at the finish line by a margin of just 0.005 seconds, with a final time of 9.784.

The final also marked the fastest race of all time, with all eight athletes crossing the finish line in under 10 seconds.

Snoop Dogg in general

Snoop went viral after he rocked up to the dressage team Grand Prix Special fully kitted out in breeches, a dressage tailcoat and hard hat alongside pal Martha Stewart. Iconic.

Ana Carolina Vieira gets sent home for breaking athletes' village rules with boyfriend

Ana Carolina Vieira was sent home after she and her boyfriend Gabriel Santos - also a swimmer competing in the Olympics - left the village without permission, which is against the Olympic Village rules.

Team GB star becomes first ever Olympian to win medal in both male and female events

Coxswain Henry Fieldman made history when he won bronze at the women's crews event off the back of his bronze win in Tokyo on the men's team.

Fieldman was able to achieve the feat because of a rule change back in 2017 that allows coxes of either gender to steer the eights.

The River Seine drama

While Canada’s Tyler Mislawchuk vomited after swimming in the river, Belgian triathlete Jolien Vermeylen admitted she 'felt and saw things that we shouldn’t think about too much'.

It came after health concerns were raised over the pollution levels in the river, with the country splashing out a cool £1.18 billion on cleaning it up in time for the games.

Freddie Crittenden jogs for entire race on purpose

The Team USA star purposely put on a leisurely performance in his first heat of the Men's 110m hurdles and ended up being the last one to make it across the finish line with a time of 18.27 seconds.

The athlete said it was a calculated move to avoid aggravating a sore muscle in his leg and due to the introduction of repechage rounds, he knew that he'd have another chance at glory.

'Slow pool' accusations

The pool at the Paris La Défense Arena is 2.15 metres deep which is short of the minimum of 2.5 metres that World Aquatics recommends for an Olympic competition, prompting backlash from viewers.

As a result of the difference in depth, an issue called 'slow' swimming is created where the water is more volatile when dispersed than in a deeper pool.

Imane Khelif's opponent quits boxing match 46 seconds in

The Algerian boxer faced Italy's Angela Carini in the round of 16 match on 1 August when Carini - who has since apologised - decided to abandon the match after 46 seconds.

Khelif - who was born and raised a girl - was disqualified from last year’s Women’s World Boxing Championships in New Delhi amid claims from the International Boxing Association that she was not able to meet their unspecified eligibility criteria.

Khelif has since been at the centre of a gender row, and has urged people to 'refrain from bullying all athletes' amid abuse online.

Luana Alonso 'kicked out' of Olympic Village

The Paraguayan swimmer was said to have been asked to leave the village amid accusations of creating an 'inappropriate environment', according to a statement from her team.

Alonso - who also announced her retirement from the sport - has since denied the claims and urged people to 'stop spreading false information'.

Gold medal winner Thomas Ceccon spotted sleeping in park amid village complaints

The athlete, who won gold in the men's 100m backstroke, was spotted taking a nap outside by Saudi rower Husein Alireza who posted it to his Instagram account, tagging the spot as a location within the official Olympic Village.

Speaking about his accommodation, Ceccon said: "It's hard to sleep both at night and in the afternoon. Usually, when I'm at home, I always sleep in the afternoon. Here I really struggle between the heat and the noise."

Steven van de Velde booed while making his Olympic debut

The convicted child rapist was booed as he competed in the preliminary phase of the beach volleyball men’s tournament at the start of the games last month.

In 2016, Van de Velde was sentenced to four years in prison after admitting three counts of rape against a 12-year-old girl in August 2014, with many furious that he has been allowed to compete in the Olympics.