Smartphone maker Xiaomi has signed sprinter Su Bingtian, the first Chinese to qualify in the men's 100m final at an Olympics, as its brand ambassador.
Sun became a national hero after he qualified for the finals in Tokyo, even though he did not win a medal. He was dubbed Asia's fastest runner after he won the men's 100-meter final at the Asian Games in Jakarta in 2018.
The Xiaomi brand deal, announced on Tuesday just hours before its latest smartphone launch, shows the company's aggressiveness in the domestic consumer market amid the waning fortunes of former top local brand Huawei Technologies Co.
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The Hong Kong-listed company did not disclose the cost of signing Su, who finished sixth in the race on August 1.
Xiaomi became the world's leading 5G Android smartphone vendor in the second quarter of this year, shipping 24 million units for a 26 per cent share of the global market, according to a report published on Monday by research firm Strategy Analytics.
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With Huawei hobbled by US sanctions, Xiaomi also surpassed Apple for the first time to become the world's No 2 handset vendor by shipments in the same period, lifted by strong sales in Latin America, Africa and Europe, according to research firm Canalys.
In the second quarter, Xiaomi accounted for 17 per cent of the global market, just behind 19 per cent for market leader Samsung Electronics, followed by Apple with 14 per cent, according to Canalys.
Filling out the top five were Oppo and Vivo, both owned by Dongguan-based BBK Electronics, each holding about 10 per cent of the market.
Beijing-based Xiaomi said on Tuesday that Su is "the most dazzling sprint star in China".
The 31-year-old athlete said in a video post that he was "happy and proud" to become Xiaomi's ambassador.
Xiaomi's founder and chief executive Lei Jun said on Weibo that he was "deeply touched" by Su's fighting spirit, and his unyielding pursuit of the ultimate goal.
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