Most athletes raise their fists in triumph after a win. When Noah Lyles, an American sprinter, won gold in the Olympics 100-metre race in August, he held his hands out in front of him, wrists together and fingers extended, as though getting ready to catch a large ball.
The gesture may have seemed odd, but fans of Japanese animation knew immediately that Mr Lyles, an avowed fan of the genre, was making a reference to a popular franchise, Dragon Ball.
