Sunisa Lee Helps U.S. Women Gymnastics Team Win Silver

She received 15.4 -- the highest score on the uneven bars so far at the Tokyo Olympics.



With Russia's women"s gymnastics team leading by more than a point and Simone Biles abruptly out of the competition in Tuesday's team final, it fell to Sunisa Lee, anchoring the United States on the uneven bars, to keep the Americans' gold medal hopes alive. It was, Lee said afterward, "the most pressure I’ve ever felt in my life." It didn’t show. Lee received a score of 15.4 on the uneven bars, the highest mark anyone has received on bars at the Olympics so far.

More here: Sunisa Lee Stepped Up When Simone Biles Stepped Back

Suni Lee Earns a Spot at the Tokyo Olympics

18-year-old gymnast will be the first Hmong American athlete to compete at the Olympics.



On Sunday, 18-year-old gymnast Suni Lee placed second at the U.S. Olympic Gymnastics Trials, automatically earning a spot on the U.S. Olympic team and qualifying for the Tokyo games. Lee, the three-time 2019 World Championships medalist who finished second to Simone Biles, is believed to be the first Hmong American athlete to complete at the Olympics.

They Call Us Bruce - Episode 35: They Call Us PyeongChang

Jeff Yang and Phil Yu present an unfiltered conversation about what's happening in Asian America.



What's up, podcast listeners? We've got another episode of our podcast They Call Us Bruce. Each week, my good friend, writer/columnist Jeff Yang and I host an unfiltered conversation about what's happening in Asian America, with a strong focus on media, entertainment and popular culture.

On this very special Olympics episode, we welcome Hannah -- Phil's sister - fresh off the plane from South Korea, where she attended the Winter Games in PyeongChang. From triple axels to twizzles to mctwists, we discuss the Olympic triumphs and trials of Team Asian America.

Another Parade: The Olympics and LGBTQ Asians and Pacific Islanders

Guest Post by Glenn D. Magpantay, Executive Director of the National Queer Asian Pacific Islander Alliance



Sports was never my thing. In high school gym class, I would always be the last person to be picked for a team. No one wanted me. I was too fat. Too slow. And I was uncomfortable in my body. The jocks called me queer for being effeminate.

But, today, I’m captivated by the Winter Olympic Games in PyeongChang. They show us how we can be all of who we are—that we can live our lives authentically and achieve our fullest potential in whatever we do. They also remind me that the world is still a dangerous place to be LGBTQ.

Welcome to The Chloe Kim Show

17-year-old snowboarder wins gold in the Olympic women's halfpipe.



As was foretold in the ancient texts, Chloe Kim fulfilled her destiny as snowboarding's golden girl, wowing the world, 1080ing into our hearts and snatching a gold medal from the sky. Everyone expected it, but still, nobody was ready. On Tuesday morning in PyeongChang, the 17-year-old snowboarder from Southern California, all smiles, won gold in the women's halfpipe. And she made it look easy.

Her first run set an extremely high bar, landing a backside air, frontside 1080, cab 720, frontside 900, McTwist and frontside inverted 720. (I have no idea what exactly these terms mean -- I just know they variously allude to awesome high-flying flippy things.) That run earned her a top score of 93.75, giving her a huge lead over the rest of the field... and eventually, the gold medal -- we just didn't quite know it yet.

Her name is Mirai Nagasu and this is her triple axel

She is the first American woman to land a triple axel at the Olympics.



See that face? That's the fierce, fiery "fuck yeah!" you get to proclaim, right there in the middle of ice, when you make history. On Sunday, figure skater Mirai Nagasu became the first American woman to land a triple axel at the Olympics, helping the U.S. secure the bronze medal in team figure skating.

Nagasu, who landed the notoriously difficult jump in the first minute of her routine, joins Midori Ito and Mao Asada as the only women to ever complete the triple axel in Olympic competition. The judges rewarded her with a personal-best and season-best score of 137.53.

The 14 Asian Americans Competing at the 2018 Winter Olympics

Representing Team Asian America in PyeongChang.



The 2018 Winter Olympics in PyeongChang, South Korea kick off on Friday. Of the 244 athletes representing Team USA in 15 disciplines across seven sports, 14 are Asian American, competing in figure skating, snowboarding and speed skating. And some are serious contenders for gold. (Did we mention the fact that half of the U.S. figure skating team is Asian American?) Here they are, representing Team Asian America. [UPDATE: Team Asian America's athlete count in PyeongChang has been bumped up to include long track speed skater Jerica Tandiman and Chris Kinney of the men's bobsled team.]

May your daughters grow up to be badass snowboarders

Super Bowl commercial pays tribute to the sacrifices of snowboarder Chloe Kim's dad.



Behind so many great athletes, there's a parent who made a thousand sacrifices. In the case of 17-year-old champion snowboarder Chloe Kim, it was her dad Jong-Jin Kim, whose love and dedication to his Olympic-bound daughter are highlighted in this moving Super Bowl commercial for the 2018 Winter Olympics.

And whooo, it tugs at the heartstrings.

In the 60-second spot, set to Ray Charles' rendition of "America the Beautiful," we see Mr. Kim arriving late to pick up Chloe for snowboarding practice. We later seen him leave his job in order to support his daughter's snowboarding career full time. After that, he's there every step of the way, from practice to rides to competition.

The commercial closes with Chloe driving home from a competition, with her father happily asleep in the passenger seat, holding her trophy. Damn, I'm getting a little choked up while just writing about it.

Look at these All-American skaters going to the Olympics

Karen Chen, Mirai Nagasu, Nathan Chen, Vincent Zhou, Madison Chock, and Maia and Alex Shibutani.



Look at all those all-American faces on the podium at the 2018 U.S. Figure Skating Championship! And by all-American, I mean Asian American, set to represent the U.S. next month at the Winter Olympics.

Team USA's 2018 Winter Olympics Figure Skating Lineup Has Been Announced

The U.S. will send three ladies, three men, three ice dance and one pairs team to compete in Pyeongchang, South Korea. For the interests of this blog, skating on behalf of Team Asian America are Karen Chen, Mirai Nagasu, Nathan Chen, Vincent Zhou, Madison Chock, and Maia and Alex Shibutani.

Chloe Kim qualifies for U.S. Olympic snowboard pipe team

17-year-old is the first snowboarder to confirm their nomination to the U.S. Olympic team.



From NBC Sports: In 2014, Chloe Kim ranked high enough to qualify for the U.S. Olympic team in snowboard halfpipe, but she was too young to compete at the Winter Games.

Four years later, she'll finally have the opportunity to represent the red, white and blue at the Olympics.

Kim won her second straight Olympic qualifier, which will secure her nomination to the U.S. halfpipe team. The 17-year-old, who is the only woman currently capable of landing back-to-back 1080s, is considered the gold medal favorite for PyeongChang 2018.

More here: Chloe Kim qualifies for U.S. Olympic snowboard pipe team

Sammy Lee, first Asian American man to win Olympic gold, dies at 96

Dr. Lee won consecutive gold medals in platform diving at the 1948 London and 1952 Helsinki Games.


Dr. Sammy Lee in 2012.
Dr. Sammy Lee, the first Asian American man to win an Olympic gold medal and the first American to win consecutive gold medals in platform diving, died of complications from pneumonia on Friday. He was 96.

Sammy Lee, diver who became first Asian American to win Olympic medal, dies at 96

Lee won a gold medal in 10-meter platform diving and a bronze in 3-meter springboard diving at the 1948 Olympics in London, and a gold in platform diving at the 1952 Olympics in Helsinki, Finland, becoming the first male diver to win back-to-back gold medals in two different Olympics -- and at age 32, the oldest to win an Olympic diving title. He was named to the U.S. Olympic Hall of Fame in 1990.

(By the way, 1948 was a hell of a year for Asian Americans at the Olympics. At the same Olympic Games in London, Vicki Manolo Draves became the first Asian American woman to win an Olympic gold medal, and the first woman to win springboard and platform gold medals in the same Olympics.)

Chloe Kim wins two gold medals at Youth Winter Olympics

Is there any doubt that Chloe Kim is the best damn snowboarder in the world right now?



I keep writing posts about Chloe Kim because she continues to be awesome, and shows no signs of stopping. Her latest triumph: winning two gold medals at the Winter Youth Olympic Games in Lillehammer, Norway.

Chloe Kim sweeps halfpipe, slopestyle at Youth Winter Olympics

The 15-year-old snowboarding phenom from La Palma, California kicked off the Youth Winter Olympic festivities by serving as Team USA's flag bearer for the Opening Ceremony, then proceeded to take gold last week in both the halfpipe and slopestyle -- despite dealing with a stomach problem and a sore knee.

On day 3 of Youth Olympic games -- less than a week after she became the first woman to score a perfect 100 in a top-level competition -- Chloe took the gold medal in the women's halfpipe with an impressive overall score of 96.50, ahead of silver medalist Emily Arthur of Australia and bronze medalist Yu-Rim Jeong of South Korea.

Chloe Kim selected as Team USA's flag bearer at the 2016 Youth Winter Olympic Games

15-year-old snowboard phenom will compete in Lillehammer.



The United States Olympic Committee announced that teen snowboarder Chloe Kim has been selected as Team USA's flag bearer for the Opening Ceremony of the 2016 Winter Youth Olympic Games, which started Friday and runs through February 21 in Lillehammer, Norway.

Chloe Kim Selected As Team USA Flag Bearer For Lillehammer 2016 Winter Youth Olympic Games

The 15-year-old from La Palma, California is the first snowboarder to serve as flag bearer for Team USA at either the Olympic Winter Games or Youth Olympic Games. In 2014, she qualified for the Sochi Olympics, but at 13 years old she was too young to compete. Now she's one of the top halfpipe snowboarders in the world.

Julie Chu will carry Team USA's flag at closing ceremony

Women's hockey veteran won her fourth Olympic medal at Sochi



The U.S. Women's Hockey Team's valiant pursuit of gold at the Sochi Olympics ended Thursday with a heartbreaking loss to Canada. They nearly had it in the bag, but Canada fought back to score two goals with under four minutes remaining, tying it up and dramatically winning in overtime.

Still, a silver medal ain't nothing to shake a hockey stick at. Mad props to forward Julie Chu, who received the fourth Olympic medal of her career. At 31, this will probably be her last Olympics. But the decorated veteran has been tasked with one last duty for Team USA: she'll carry the American flag at the closing ceremony.

I want to feel all the feelings in this photo

This is what it looks like to learn you are the best


Behold, the face of a man who has achieved his best. A camera caught Yuzuru Hanyu and his coach Yoshiko Kobayashi just as they learned that the 19-year-old Olympian from Japan earned a record-shattering score of 101.45 in Thursday's men's figure skating short program -- the highest score ever recorded. The result is this awesome photo.

A Classic Photo Of The Moment A Figure Skater Realized He Set The World Record

Commercial features J.R. Celski's path to Olympic glory

Behind every big moment, there are lots of small ones.



If you've been watching coverage of the Winter Olympics, you've probably seen a series of commercials for TD Ameritrade that incorporate vintage videos of several Olympic athletes. This one, featuring short-track speed skater J.R. Celski's career and life in reverse, shows that his path towards Olympic glory started long before he hit the ice Sochi. Check it out:

Classy, Ashley. I'm sure Mirai felt the same way.

"Bullshit."



Whether or not you feel Mirai Nagasu got snubbed [raises hand] when Ashley Wagner was picked for the U.S. Olympic figure skating team, you'll probably find this pretty amusing. Over the weekend, cameras caught Wagner's unmistakable, brutally honest reaction to her short program score during ladies team competition.

Ashley Wagner's "Bullshit" Moment Is The First Meme Of The Sochi Games

Wagner received a score of 63.10, putting her in fourth place behind Mao Asada of Japan, who actually fell during her routine. It's clearly apparently she thought she'd do better. Simply put, she thought her score was "bullshit." Hey, I can't blame a competitive athlete for being honest. Of course, the moment was captured, instantly gif-ed and proliferated throughout the internet. Infamous.

The best snowboarder you won't see at the Olympics

13-year-old Chloe Kim is the youngest Winter X Games medalist in history



You won't see American snowboarder Chloe Kim competing at the Olympics. At 13 years old, she's too young. The Olympics' age requirement requires athletes to turn 16 during the Olympic year, meaning Kim would've had to turn 15 by December 31, 2013 to qualify to compete. Too bad, because she's amazing.

Over the weekend at the Winter X Games in Aspen, the eighth grader from La Palma, California proved she would have been a podium contender in Sochi, taking second in the women's halfpipe behind veteran Kelly Clark and becoming the youngest Winter X Games medalist in history.

Here's video of Chloe's silver-winning run from Saturday. Just watch:

Bounty commercial stars Olympian Julie Chu (and her mom)

U.S. ice hockey medalist heads to Sochi for her fourth Winter Olympics



Been seeing this cool commercial for Bounty, featuring Olympic medalist Julie Chu of the U.S. women's ice hockey team... and her mom. The three-time Olympian returns to the squad to represent the United States next month at Sochi, no doubt looking for a gold medal to go with the two silvers and a bronze she's already collected. But first, she's got to tell you about those super-absorbent sheets of Bounty:

The Shib Sibs are Sochi-bound

Brother-and-sister ice dance pair Alex and Maia Shibutani earn a spot on the U.S. Olympic team



Snubs aside, a big congratulations to the folks earned themselves a spot on the U.S Olympic figure skating team, including two of my favorites, brother-and-sister ice dance pair Alex and Maia Shibutani, aka the "Shib Sibs." The pair brought down the house and took the bronze medal with their Michael Jackson-themed free skate on Saturday at the U.S. Figure Skating Championships.

Here's video of the performance that sent them Sochi-bound: