As the 2020 Tokyo Olympics comes to a close, Team USA has reaped almost 40 gold medals and a total medal count of 113, making them the most decorated country at this year’s games. What makes these wins even more special are the various communities of color that were represented, including the AAPI community. Competing across various sports, over 50 Asian-Americans represented Team USA in Tokyo, 15 of them medaling in their respective categories. To this, the Creatively Asian team only hopes that such representation can continue and grow at the next Olympic games.
While every AAPI participant has their own story, there is one who has made history— Hmong-American gymnast Sunisa Lee, the first Asian-American to win gold in the gymnastics all-around. Suni has been on the podium since her junior years, even in the 2019 Kansas Championships when her father was paralyzed from a fall. As such, her now three-medal collection in Tokyo is well deserved, which includes silver in the team all-around and bronze in the uneven bars.
Other AAPI athletes who medaled:
Gold:
Lee Keifer (fencing- women’s individual foil)
Xander Schauffle (golf- men’s individual stroke play)
Micheal Norman (track and field- men’s 4x400 relay)
Justine Wong-Orantes (women’s volleyball)
Silver:
Jay Litherland (swim- men’s 400 m individual)
Erica Sullivan (swim- women’s 1500 m)
Jamie Reel, Dejah Mulipola, Keilani Rickets (softball)
Written by Reyna Wen. Graphics by Jasmine Nguyen. Click here to see the original post!