Pro Swimmer hits back at Joey Swoll after “making fun of” kid at gym

Russian professional swimmer Nika Godun is hitting back after fitness influencer Joey Swoll put her on blast for “making fun of” a child working out at her gym.

Bodybuilder and content creator Joey Swoll is a well-known presence on the internet who is often hailed for his videos calling out poor behavior caught at gyms or fitness clubs.

Swoll has gone viral multiple times for putting people on blast for poor gym etiquette — mostly, for making fun of other gymgoers. In fact, one woman deleted her social media accounts after getting caught in Swoll’s crosshairs for making fun of an older man working out at her gym.

Now, another athlete is facing the internet’s ire after making fun of a child working out at her gym. In her video, Russian pro swimmer Nika Godun filmed a youngster doing dumbbell rows in an awkward way.

Joey Swoll calls out pro swimmer for “making fun” of kid at gym

Swoll was quick to call out the swimmer in a scathing video. “Filming him to make fun of him to post on social media is never an option,” he said. “And you’re a professional athlete. You should know better!”

Nika Godun hits back at Joey Swoll after gym video sparks backlash

Unlike other folks called out by Swoll in the past, it looks like Godun isn’t going to delete her account or provide an apology. Instead, she offered up an explanation for the incident in a lengthy caption on Instagram on June 10, saying that she actually knew the kid in question and calling him the “funniest guy ever.”

“People want to hate and they just need to be guided where to spread their hate, and that was on me,” she wrote. “I know the kid and he’s the funniest guy ever, not giving a f*ck when his coach is not looking. He didn’t need any of my help because he’s in the swimming group with other kids and a coach and he knows how to do the exercise properly.”

“He’s not disabled or sick, he’s just a KID!” she continued. “I posted a video with a caption ‘me on a Monday morning,’ saying that I’m like this kid because I adore his ‘I’m tired and I don’t give a f*ck’ energy and even in the video itself I’m saying, ‘I love him.'”

She then encouraged viewers to “lighten up” and claimed the response to her post was an “over-reaction” by the internet.

That’s not all; Godun also added other comments to her post, seemingly calling out Joey Swoll and claiming he “threatened” her to take the video down.

Thus far, Swoll has not responded to Godun’s latest post — but we’ll make sure to keep you updated right here on Dexerto if he does.