"Found the Energy Gel Shin Yubin Used"...Product by Small Business Causes 'Sold-Out Frenzy'

Shin Yubin Gains Attention with 'Mukbang'

Shin Yu-bin (20, Korean Air), a member of the table tennis national team competing in the 2024 Paris Olympics, reportedly caused the 'energy gel' product she was consuming to sell out. Earlier, during a match, Shin Yu-bin was seen eating this product on screen, attracting attention from netizens both domestically and internationally.

The energy gel is known to be a food product produced by a small and medium-sized enterprise in Korea. As of the 5th, the product was already sold out on the company's official sales website.

The energy gel was first exposed to the media during the women's table tennis singles quarterfinals on the 1st. During the match against Hirano Miu (24, Japan), Shin Yu-bin was captured with the energy gel in her mouth.

Energy gel that Shin Yubin became a hot topic for eating during the game break
[Image source=SNS capture]

At that time, Shin Yu-bin was leading Hirano 3-0. Before entering the fourth game, Hirano went to change clothes because her outfit was soaked with sweat, and meanwhile, Shin Yu-bin squeezed and ate the energy gel while having an ice pack on her head. According to Olympic regulations, the product name was covered with a sticker, but netizens were able to easily identify the product name based on the color of the energy gel packaging.

The energy gel is a food developed for athletes who perform high-intensity exercise for extended periods. It is a carbohydrate concentrated in gel form and filled in a tube to quickly replenish energy when the body's energy drops sharply.

Meanwhile, Shin Yu-bin's 'Olympic mukbang' has been a hot topic throughout this Olympics. Besides the energy gel, Shin Yu-bin also snacked on bananas, rice balls, peaches, and more during breaks in the matches.

Not only domestic but also overseas netizens have shown interest in Shin Yu-bin. At one point, Shin Yu-bin's name ranked among the real-time search terms on the Chinese social networking service (SNS) 'Weibo.' Chinese netizens also praised her for eating the energy gel, saying things like "eats like a hamster" and "good skills and cute."

Earlier, Shin Yu-bin cited snacks as a secret to her good performance at the Olympics. After advancing to the semifinals, she said at a joint press conference, "If I hadn't eaten snacks, I wouldn't have won the 7-game match," adding, "My stamina was greatly depleted, and I lost strength intermittently. Eating rice balls and bananas made by my mother was a factor that helped me win."

Meanwhile, Shin Yu-bin won a bronze medal in the Olympic mixed doubles event with Lim Jong-hoon. In the women's singles, she faced Hayata Hina (Japan, 24) in the bronze medal match but lost 2-4.