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TEAM USA Asher Hong was a steady and inspirational leader for the US men's gymnastic team. |
It was the first medal since 2008 for the men. The surprising performance could very well be attributed to Asher Hong's enthusiasm. The TV cameras showed him pumping up his teammates, cheering them on and then heartily congratulating them with shouts, pumping fists and man-hugs.
“I’m always the hype, man. I just wanted to give all my energy for my boys," said Hong. "I mean, if I’m not competing, I’m usually cheering for my boys. It gets me excited and I hope it gets them excited and gives them energy to go and have fun just like I do cheering for them.”
YI: Follow all the AANHPI athletes at the Paris Olympics.
Though it was Hong's first Olympics but his solid, steady performance on the rings, vault and floor exercise kept the men's team in the hunt for a medal.
“To finally go out there and show off the routines is like, feels awesome… I feel like I did my job to the best of my extent. I mean, I hit the events that I needed to. High bar was a little messed up, but I recovered well,” said Stanford senior Hong, who was born in Plano, Texas.
“To finally go out there and show off the routines is like, feels awesome… I feel like I did my job to the best of my extent. I mean, I hit the events that I needed to. High bar was a little messed up, but I recovered well,” said Stanford senior Hong, who was born in Plano, Texas.
"I mean, it’s unbelievable," Hong told NBC News. "We put in so much hard work at home, and we just put our trust and belief in each other, and we went out there, had fun."
Although the US women's team was expected to perform well, high expectations bring its own kind of pressure. Anything less than a gold medal would have been a disappointment.
But when the pressure is on, the women lived up to their reputation as the best gymnasts in the world.
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TEAM USA Suni Lee starred in her return to the Olympics and will defend her title Thursday. |
“We had so many expectations on us this time,” Lee said in a post-game news conference. “But I think we did exactly what we were supposed to. We went out there and we had fun with it.”
Japan and China won the Gold and Silver medals respectively.
Suni Lee, a Hmong American, overcame serious illnesses to return to the form that won her a gold medal in Tokyo as the Best All-around Gymnast,
After Tokyo, Lee enrolled at Auburn University and played for the school but after a successful first year, she came down with a serious kidney ailment that caused her to return home to Little Canada, Minnesota to receive treatment and recover. For a while, it looked like Paris was not in her future.
However, over the next few years, she regained her strength and worked hard to return to her competitive form.
After losing to the Russians in Tokyo, on Tuesday, teaming up with Simone Biles and Jordan Chiles (with Lee subbing for Jade Carey, who was feeling ill) the US are champions once again.
Lee and Hong coud potentionally win more medals
Although Hong didn't qualify for the men's all around on Wednesday, he will compete on individual apparatus in the following days. Among the American men, he scored highest on rings (14.533) and vault (14.833).
Lee, the reigning women's champion, will compete for the all-around title Thursday (Aug. 1) with her biggest competition being Biles, considered by many as the best gymnast the US has ever produced. It will be the first time to women who have won the women's individual championship will compete against each other.
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