Chinese state media is being criticized for calling a shot-put gold medalist 'a manly woman' and asking if she has a boyfriend

• An interviewer with Chinese state media called a gold-medal Olympian "a manly woman," the BBC said.
• The reporter asked the shot-put champion Gong Lijiao, "Do you have any plans for a woman's life?"
• Thousands of people criticized the interview, the BBC reported.

A Chinese state broadcaster was criticized for calling an Olympic gold medalist "a manly woman" and asking if she had a boyfriend in an interview, the BBC reported on Friday.

The BBC said a reporter with the state broadcaster CCTV spoke with Gong Lijiao after she won the women's shot-put final on Sunday.

The reporter told the audience that Gong "gave me the impression that she is a manly woman, until one breakthrough moment," the BBC reported.

The clip cut to an interview with Gong, where the reporter asked, "Do you have any plans for a woman's life?"

When Gong appeared confused, another reporter said, according to the BBC, "Since you used to be a manly woman for shot put, do you feel you can be yourself from now on?"

Gong replied: "Um ... maybe I'll look at my plans. If I don't train then perhaps I will lose weight, get married and have children. Yes, it's the path one must take in life."

The reporter asked Gong if she had a boyfriend, what kind of man she wanted, and whether she would arm-wrestle a boyfriend, according to the BBC.

The BBC reported that thousands of people complained about the questioning.

The report quoted a post on the Chinese social-media network Weibo as saying: "It's not that she can't get married, it's that no man is her match ... when we talk about women, it's not just about marriage or looks, but also dreams and achievements."

According to the BBC, Gong herself replied to that post, saying, "This totally expresses what I feel! Thank you!"