The World Indoor Athletics Championships took place in Glasglow (Scotland) from March 1st to 3rd, 2024. In the 60 meter hurdles there was an athlete who stood out because of a very specific gesture. Many anime fans will be familiar with the pose from One Piece.
What kind of pose was seen? Athlete Lorenzo Ndele Simonelli is a big fan of One Piece. Even his Instagram name is monkey_d_lollo. At this year’s World Championships he competed in the 60 meter hurdles. He was so fast in this discipline that he even won the silver medal.
To properly celebrate his victory, he threw himself into his best victory pose: He squatted down with his legs apart, placed a fist on the ground and put a straw hat on his head. Well, does that sound familiar?
The pose is typical of Monkey D. Luffy when he transforms into his Gear 2 form. He hits the ground with his fist and pumps himself up. This makes Luffy even stronger and can take on more powerful opponents.
Luffy has now arrived at Gear 5, which can also be seen on Egghead Island:
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What other pose could be seen? But that’s not all: Simonelli has not only imitated Luffy’s Gear 2, but also his latest transformation. In another image, he jumps the way Luffy did during his very first Gear 5 transformation.
There is a picture on his Instagram account that shows him jumping, wearing a straw hat and the national flag of his home country. He writes the following text:
POSSESSING A BODY THAT HAS THE PROPERTIES OF RUBBER…HE FIGHTS HOW HE LIKES IT AND BRINGS A SMILE TO THE FACE OF EVERYONE HE MEETS. THE LIBERATION WARRIOR, ALSO KNOWN AS…NIKA, THE SUN GOD.
AWAKENING WOULD BRING FURTHER STRENGTH AND FREEDOM TO HIS RUBBER BODY. IT IS SAID THAT THERE IS NO MORE RIDICULOUS FORCE IN THE ENTIRE WORLD…!
I hope I made a few of you smile as Nika, hihihihihi….
Lorenzo Ndele Simonelli, Instagram
Even in the interview after his victory, Simonelli remained true to his role model. He said that he was Monkey D. Luffy and would become the Pirate King. He also referred to his Straw Hat and revealed that Luffy’s Gear 5 form helped him to the podium.
There are other athletes who are big fans of One Piece. German footballer Julian Brandt also struck a pose as he scored a winning goal. However, he did not imitate Monkey D. Luffy, but rather his competitor Trafalgar Law.
MeinMMO has listed 4 other athletes who have incorporated One Piece into their disciplines: One Piece in sports: 5 iconic moves from the anime that athletes have used to motivate themselves