Asian American Athletes
The Struggles and Successes of Asian American Athletes in the Olympics
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Swimmer Jay Litherland, a silver medalist in the 400m individual medley at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, has even attributed part of his motivation and success to past APIA athletes. “I really idolized [five-time Olympic gold medal-winning swimmer Nathan Adrian] … When you look at someone that’s got kind of a similar face … you kind of relate to them,” he said. Still, Jieli Wegerif, a third-year student at the University of Florida, has relayed her desire for greater APIA representation within sports. Wegerif expressed that visibility matters because it shapes how one views their identity. ““If I had known more Asian Americans who played my sport and who were active in areas that were exciting to me as a kid, I do think that would have affected how I viewed myself,” she said.
“My job is to represent this country no matter what … no matter if an individual feels like they need to say something or harass me.” the past Tokyo Olympics was particularly exciting as she noticed a considerable increase in APIA representation. In spite of the increasing visibility of APIA members within sports, the effects of Asian hate have impeded on the well-being of several athletes as their identities and allegiances are questioned. From racial slurs to hateful messages to harassment on the road, these Olympic athletes have endured another layer of stress in addition to the pressures of performing well on behalf of their country. Yet, many athletes have taken to social media to raise awareness on Asian hate and the problematic nature of racial stereotypes in sports. Brooke Reeves, a third-year economics student at UF, shared her thoughts on APIA athletes competing under the duress of widespread Asian-hate sentiments, as well as their reactive presence on social media. She stated, “When people of minority groups go and represent themselves, especially on big platforms, not only are they representing themselves as a person, but they’re also representing whatever nationality they are.” She recognized the importance of APIA athletes utilizing their platforms to gain attention, as “[incidents reported by APIA athletes] can happen to anyone.” Wegerif also added, “It’s not just a physical level they have to reach to be the best of the best
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model/Gavin Leung
For Draves, she strategically adopted her mother’s maiden name to avoid racial discrimination in competitions. Lee was only able to train in his community swimming pool once a week on the day before its weekly cleaning. Despite training under these limitations, both athletes were able to perform at an elite level and have since served as role models for APIA athletes
Since then, there have seen many instances of APIA excellence in sports, such as gymnast Amy Chow, figure skater Kristi Yamaguchi, and snowboarder Chloe Kim, as well as an encouraging increase in APIA participation in these high-profile sport events.
Wegerif’s childhood did not include a lot of exposure to APIA women in sports. Despite the lack of APIA role models to look up to, she enthusiastically shared that
design by/ Navya Nair
The first APIA athlete to gain visibility was Victoria Draves, the first Asian American to receive a medal at the 1948 Summer Olympics in London. Shortly after, Sammy Lee, a fellow diver, also won a gold medal. However, the road to their success was marked with racism that served as barriers to enter their sport.
that have followed in their footsteps.
photos by/ Rajvi Maisuria
his past summer, countless Asian and Pacific Islander American (APIA) athletes traveled to Tokyo in hopes of winning gold for their country in the 2020 Summer Olympics. However, many of these athletes represent a country that, just a few months prior, had a spike in Asian hate crimes triggered by the pandemic. Many have used their platform to uplift the APIA community and raise awareness on Asian hate by sharing their experiences of enduring racially motivated threats as they prepare for the Olympics.
By Hannah Kim
