With the Paris 2024 Summer Olympics set to begin on July, 26, (10 days from now!) it’s time to take a look at the Asian-American athletes representing Team USA at these Olympic Games! There is a wide array of Asian-American athletes participating in many different sports, ranging from gymnastics to the newest addition to the Summer Olympics, breaking (breakdancing).
Returning from a gold-medal in the Tokyo 2020 Summer Olympics, Sunisa Lee, who is of Hmong descent, seeks to find continued success at this year’s Summer Olympics. In the last Summer Olympics in Tokyo, Lee received a gold medal in the All-Around competition, a silver medal in the Team competition, and a bronze medal in the Uneven Bars competition. Despite taking a break due to a rare kidney disease, Lee found success in the Olympics Trials this year and was selected as one of the five female gymnasts to represent the United States at the Olympics.
Similarly, in the men’s gymnastics category, 20-year-old Asher Hong will compete in the Paris 2024 Summer Olympics. In 2023, Hong contributed to the United States’ third-place finish at the World Championships. After a strong performance at the Olympic Trials this June, Hong was named as one of the five male gymnasts competing for the United States at this year’s summer Olympics.
Outside of gymnastics, Filipino-American Mitchell Saron will represent the United States at Paris for the Sabre event of fencing. The Harvard alumnus won bronze at the 2023 World Championships for the United States Sabre team. His recent success in fencing competitions has earned him a spot in the Olympic competition.
Recently, the Olympic Committee decided to add Breakdancing as a new sport to the Paris 2024 Summer Olympics. Because of her success at the 2023 Pan American Games, Grace “Sunny” Choi qualified for a spot in the breakdancing competition at the Summer Olympics. On top of her victory in the Pan American Games, Choi also won a silver-medal in the B-Girls event at the Birmingham 2022 World Games. She was initially introduced to breaking during her time at the University of Pennsylvania. As she improved over time, she entered the peak of competition in the sport, eventually leading her to where she is today.
These athletes are only a subset of all the Asian-American athletes participating at the Paris 2024 Summer Olympics. Nevertheless, we hope to see every athlete thrive at this year’s Summer Olympic games!