Standing 1.91 meters tall naturally made him noticeable, but height alone did not explain the reaction.
His body seemed permanently aligned.
Whether standing still or moving through the venue, he maintained the kind of posture normally associated with a dancer in the middle of a performance.
Xinhua described his movements as deliberate and measured, while social-media users repeatedly used words connected with grace and elegance.
To someone unfamiliar with DanceSport, that posture might appear extraordinary.
To Sinkins, however, it was the result of decades of repetition.
He began dancing when he was just seven years old.
Born in Latvia in 1970, Sinkins spent years as a competitive dancer before eventually becoming a coach and international adjudicator. The World DanceSport Federation now lists him as an active general adjudicator licensed across Latin, Standard, Ten Dance and several professional-division categories.
His official record also shows years of judging international competitions across Europe and Asia.
In other words, the posture that viewers suddenly discovered in Chengdu had not appeared overnight.
It had been trained into him over almost five decades.
When asked about the secret behind his appearance and youthful energy, Sinkins connected it directly to dance.
China Daily reported that he credited his lifelong involvement in the sport, beginning at age seven, as well as his continued interaction with younger dancers. He explained that constantly being surrounded by young people and the energy of DanceSport helped him maintain that sense of vitality.
Xinhua reported a similarly simple piece of advice from him: make dance part of your life.
Good posture and good habits, he suggested, eventually become part of the body itself. He also emphasized remaining positive and surrounding oneself with sincere people.
That explanation offers an interesting counterpoint to the way social media often talks about aging.
The internet frequently focuses on products, procedures and dramatic physical transformations.
Sinkins' answer was much less glamorous.
Practice something for decades.
Move your body.
Develop habits.
Maintain posture.
Stay involved with people.
And continue doing the activity you love.
His appearance in Chengdu was, in that sense, not a sudden achievement.
It was the visible result of a life built around movement.
Why “Mr Ferrari”?
The nickname was perhaps the strangest part of the story for international audiences.
Why would a Latvian DanceSport judge be compared to an Italian sports car?
On Chinese social media, the idea made more sense.
The South China Morning Post explained that “Ferrari” was being used as internet slang for something—or someone—that remains impressive and cool despite age.
The comparison is essentially a compliment about enduring quality.
A Ferrari does not stop being a Ferrari because it gets older.
And, according to the online joke, neither did Sinkins stop looking elegant simply because he was 55.
That was the logic behind “Mr Ferrari.”
His silver hair probably helped.
Rather than attempting to appear decades younger, Sinkins' look emphasized maturity. The gray hair, glasses, tailored suit and controlled expression gave him the appearance of someone completely comfortable with his age.
That distinction may partly explain why his image resonated.
The fascination was not simply that a 55-year-old man looked young.
It was that he looked unmistakably mature while still appearing energetic, athletic and exceptionally polished.