Criticism of Zhu Yi, a U.S.-born skater, shows the harsh scrutiny of naturalized athletes in China.

Feb. 7, 2022, 1:41 p. m. ET. For two days, social media users in China have been heaping scorn onto Beverly Zhu, a 19-year-old figure skater who was born and raised in the United States but competes for China under the name Zhu Yi. The criticism began on Sunday, when the naturalized athlete fell during the women's singles short program in the team event. The criticism of Zhu showed how naturalized athletes were sometimes subject to even harsher scrutiny. Before the 2022 Games, Zhu had come under attack for her apparent inability to speak fluent Chinese. Some social media users suggested, without evidence, that Zhu had gained a spot on the Chinese Olympics team because of the prominence of her father, Song-Chun Zhu, a computer scientist who relocated to Peking University from the United States. Chen Lu, a Chinese former figure skater who won bronze medals at two Olympics in the 1990s, said Zhu's mistakes reflected the pressures of performing at a global event before a Chinese audience. "For Zhu Yi, the biggest challenge is lack of experience in big competitions," Chen said, according to Sohu, a Chinese news website. Zhu is scheduled to compete again in the women's singles skating program next week.