Asian Fortune Your source for all things Asian American
By Jennie L. IIustre
Awesome, historic: These words describe Asian and Asian American achievements at the Winter Olympics in Beijing.
Teen sensation and global endorser Eileen Gu, 18, made history by winning three medals. She won two gold medals: For women’s freeski big air and the women’s halfpipe competitions. She bagged a silver medal for women’s ski slopestyle.
South Korean Chloe Kim, 21, is the first female in Olympics history to win two gold medals on the snowboarding halfpipe.
Nathan Chen, 22, gave a breath-taking performance on his way to winning a gold medal in the men’s figure skating competition. He also won a silver medal in the figure skating Team event.
Hwang Dae-heon won South Korea’s first gold medal in the men’s 1500-meter track. Fellow South Korean Choi Min-Jeong won the gold medal in the women’s1500-m short track, a back-to-back feat. She won gold in the previous Winter Olympics.
National Pride
Asian American leaders expressed elation over the amazing showing of the Olympic winners. Remarked David Uy, Executive Director of the Chinese American Museum Foundation: “As Americans, we approach the Olympics from a perspective of national pride that we all share.”
Thu Nguyen, Executive Director of the OCA-Asian Pacific American Advocates, stressed it is important to celebrate the “golden performances on the world stage with pride.”
However, she noted the obvious irony, adding, “Yet their wins in Beijing still come on the backdrop of tragic anti-Asian violence here at home, and the cold reality that many still view Asian faces as ‘other.’”
InStyle writer Sara Li noted in her February 14 article, “After a spike in anti-Asian racism in the U.S., watching athletes like Chloe Kim and Nathan Chen succeed is exactly what we needed.”
Indeed, the challenges the Asian American athletes have overcome make their victories doubly impressive, and truly inspiring and welcome news.
Melanie Chan, National President of the Chinese American Citizens Alliance, said: “Nathan Chen and Chloe Kim have spoken out about the unique challenges they faced as Asian American athletes in the U.S.” The story of the Olympic champions is a universal story. It is about the triumph of the human spirit, of winning against all odds.
‘Winning Formula’
Chan noted in an email interview: “The athletes have embraced their Asian and American heritage. And that has helped to shape them into the person they are today. Their achievements not only shine a bright light on Asian American and Pacific Islander athletes, but they also highlight the obvious: That diversity and inclusiveness is a winning formula.”
“We applaud the accomplishments and successes of Nathan Chen, Chloe Kim and all the Asian and Asian American athletes representing the United States at the world stage of the 2022 Olympic Games,” she added.
“The outstanding performances of these athletes,” she stressed, “will help promote the public awareness of the contributions of Asian Americans, as well as continue to inspire aspiring athletes and Asian Americans.”
American Achievement
Remarked Uy, Executive Director of the Chinese American Museum Foundation: “As Americans, we approach the Olympics from a perspective of national pride that we all share. For Chinese Americans, it is exciting to see Asian Americans competing at the highest levels and pushing themselves to the limit. Of course, it’s a matter of representation–not just to see ourselves, but for others to see us as part of the American achievement.”
“The world celebrates Olympians vicariously through their victories. As Asian Americans, we are no different,” he said. “We are also very proud of our athletes, like Olympic skating gold medalist Nathan Chen–because, and the world saw this, what he did was truly amazing.”
Another word: Other
OCA-Asian Pacific American Advocates Executive Director Nguyen said in an email that for decades, trailblazing Olympians like Kristi Yamaguchi and Michelle Kwan have inspired generations of youth, while also carving a new path for Asian American athletes.
“The hard-earned victories by Nathan Chen, Chloe Kim, and others at the Winter Olympics not only demonstrate how far our communities have come, but show how America’s view of Asian success has shifted over 20-30 years,” she said.
She noted: “Despite wearing U.S. flags and earning gold, Yamaguchi and Kwan were viewed as perpetual foreigners, leading to astonishing scenes including MSNBC’s infamous 1998 ‘America Beats Out Kwan’ headline.”
“Today, Chen and Kim are embraced and touted as symbols of all-American achievement,” she pointed out. “Yet their wins in Beijing still come on the backdrop of tragic anti-Asian violence here at home, and the cold reality that many still view Asian faces as ‘other.’”
“We can still celebrate Chen and Kim’s golden performances on the world stage with pride, while also remaining mindful that our communities still face tremendous challenges to full acceptance,” she stressed.
Asian and American Heritage
Chinese American Citizens Alliance National President Chan stated Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders are often perceived as not being American and told to “go back to your country.” She said, “Nathan Chen and Chloe Kim have spoken out about the unique challenges they faced as an Asian American athlete.”
“Eileen Gu considers herself a Chinese American, and that she is as American as she is Chinese,” she added. ”It is also interesting to note that she has been criticized for choosing to compete for China, yet it is not unusual for other Americans to compete for a different country.”
She said diversity and inclusivity point to a winning formula. “All three athletes have embraced their Asian and American heritage, and that has helped to shape them into the person they are today.” That is, the world’s Olympic champions.
