Aang the Olympian: Netherland windsurfer with ‘Avatar’-inspired haircut nabs Olympic gold
Every athlete has their own thing to keep them in their element. For Olympian windsurfer Kiran Badloe however, that inspiration has control of all the elements - In the fictional world, that is.
Kiran entered the 2020 Tokyo Olympics with his hair styled and dyed in a familiar blue arrow inspired by Avatar Aang, the protagonist of his favorite show Avatar: The Last Airbender.
He first shared the hairstyle through Instagram and the story behind it.
"This haircut is a tribute to the one and only true wind master. The avatar, the last air bender known to be alive," Badloe captioned. "I hope the spirit of this great warrior gives me the power to sail well this week and use the wind in my favor."
"One day I dream of become a master of the wind myself, a true air bender."
True to his word, a week later Kiran nabbed the Winsurfing gold for the Netherlands. Additionally, it will also be the last gold for Badloe's windsurfing division, as the RS:X class is set to be replaced by IQ windfoil racing in the forthcoming 2024 Paris Olympics.
"It's about a kid that controls the wind, and he needs to control all different kinds of elements of nature in order to do something great, and I'm doing the same here," Badloe shared with Reuters as he aimed to "be in tune with the wind and in tune with the water and everything around, and hopefully that leads me to something great."
Meanwhile, Badloe's win also serves as the Netherlands' third year nabbing the windsurfing Olympic gold.
"This is the highlight of my career so far," Badloe shared. "I've won the last three world championships, but it's always something special about an Olympics, they happen once every four years."
Photos from AFP and Kiran Badloe's Instagram
