In the sports world, it's not uncommon for athletes to gain attention for their exceptional skills and achievements.

However, a young Japanese badminton player is making headlines for an entirely different reason—her resemblance to NewJean's Hanni.

Maya Taguchi, born in 2005, recently captured the attention of Korean netizens when her photos began circulating online. She had already made a name for herself as one of the most anticipated badminton players, winning a gold medal in her first appearance at the Junior Badminton World Championships.

Despite her remarkable achievement, Maya Taguchi was not selected to represent Japan in this year's Paris Olympics. However, she was able to cause much buzz in a popular online community. They commented:

"She looks so cute."

"She looks like a mix between Hanni + Haerin. Wow."

"She's so cute. She's going to be so popular."

"She looks so youthful and so cute."

"I don't think she looks so much like Hanni but she looks so adorable."

"She does look like Hanni when she smiles."

"She's so pretty."

"She looks prettier in my opinion."

What do you think? Does she look like NewJeans' Hanni?

SEE ALSO: A complaint was filed because NewJeans used a "non-Korean" iPhone in a Korea Tourism ad