Filipino American Rutgers player is the No. 2 pick in the NBA draft

SCREEN CAPTURE / ESPN

Dylan Harper and his mother Maria. were interviewed on ESPN after he was the No. 2 pick.

A Filipino American basketball player was the second overall pick in the National Basketball League Draft held Wednesday.

Dylan Harper, whose mother is a Filipino American, was the No. 2 selection in the 2025 NBA draft. Picked by the San Antonio Spurs, the 6'6" guard played only a year for Rutgers University in New Jersey before becoming pro.

During his lone year at Rutgers the 19-year old averaged 19.4 points, 4.6 rebounds, and 4.0 assists.

Harper had barely sat down in the Green Room after the No. 1 draft pick, Cooper Flagg, was selected by the Dallas Mavericks, when he heard his name.

Harper is the son of former Laker/Bulls player Ron Harper and his Filipino American mother, Maria Pizarro, who coaches boys' high school basketball at Don Bosco Prep in Ramsey, New Jersey.

Harper's mother was born in Bataan, Philippines and played college basketball at the Univeristy of New Orleans. Her other son, Ron, Jr., is in his third year in the NBA playing for the Detroit Pistons.

"We're playing the sport we love," Maria told Jersey Sports Zone in April 2023. "They're playing it, I'm coaching it. It's a family affair, and that's how pure it is in our family." 

Speaking about his mother, who raised Dylan, Ron, Jr., and their sister after her divorce from Ron Harpers, Sr. in 2012. “She means the world to me,” Dylan said. “She even coached me from first grade all the way to senior high school. For her to see this moment, and just to be there for my journey — I love my mom. Everything I do is definitely for her.”

While Dylan's father is already welll known for his five rings (3 with the Chicago Bullls and 2 with the Laakers), His mother almost stole Dylan's moment on draft night as she went viral on social media. 

Pizarro is not kidding when she says the basketball is the family's blood. Speaking to The Athletic in 2023, Maria's influence over Dylan was made very clear.

'I’m not big on girlfriends or house parties,' she said. 'We get up, we go to school, we have our activity, whether it’s basketball or it’s dance, we get our homework done, and that’s about it. That’s the tone that I set in the household.'

She said of Dylan's basketball skills: "What makes him good is that he’s a Swiss army knife. He sees the floor like an eagle. He knows how to get his teammates involved.

"He’s a very capable scorer if you need him to be, but because he has a point guard mentality, he wants his teammates to succeed, even before himself."

Harper and his mother, Maria Pizarro, spoke to the ESPN cameras moments after the he was picked by the Spurs.

'His flat-out love for the game, his determination, hard work and humility, day in and day out,' a visibly emotional Maria told ESPN when asked about what had led her son to the NBA.

With the addition of Harper, the Spurs could be a formidable force next season as the team fine-tunes its strategy of putting the best players on the floor, no matter The San Antonio team has the last two rookies of year in Victor Wembanyama (2023-2024) and Stephon Castle (2024-2025). In addition, the Spurs acquired already proven vet  De'Aaron Fox last year.

Dylan Harper joins a slowly growing list of active Filipino American players in the NBA: His brother Ron Harper Jr of the Detroit Pistons, Jordan Clarkson of the Utah Jazz and Jalen Green, who was recently traded to the Phoenix Suns and Jared McCain of the Philadelphia 76ers.

EDITOR'S NOTE: For additional commentary, news, views and chismis from an AANHPI perspective, follow me on Threads, on X or at the blog Views From the Edge. Now on BlueSky.

Minnesota Vikings player shows off his Filipino American heritage

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Vikings safety Camryn Bynum is proud of his Filipino roots.

I have to say upfront that I'm a die-hard Niners fan, but that won't keep me from rooting for the Minnesota Vikings, or, more specifically, Vikings safety Camryn Bynum.

Second-year man Bynum, 24,  is not only from my alma mater, Cal, but he's also a proud Filipino American and he's not bashful about showing it.

Last weekend after Bynum’s interception in the closing seconds helped his team secure a 27-22 victory over the New York Jets on Oct. 5, he ran onto the field waving the Philippines flag. Later, he did interviews and took reporters’ questions with the Philippines flag prominently draped over his shoulders.

“Representation,” Bynum told reporters after the game, according to the St. Paul Pioneer Press. “Just being able to put my flag on the map and hopefully get some more eyes to see what we’re doing in the Philippines to raise money there.”

During last week's game, Bynum wore customized cleats representing Keys To Freedom Ministries, which aids victims of the yearly typhoons hat ravage the Philippines, as part of the NFL’s My Cause My Cleats campaign that allows players to promote charitable causes and organizations through their in-game footwear.

“I’m half Filipino, so I rep my roots are heavy,” Bynum said. “We do a lot of work in the Philippines trying to raise awareness.”

A year ago, when the Vikings visited the Niners at Levi Stadium, Bynum had a 200-strong cheering section full of family and friends. His mother is a third-generation Filipino American from the Bay Area, which has one of the largest community of Filipino Americans in the US.

When the Vikings play the Detroit Lions this Sunday, Oct. 11, there's no doubt who I'll be rooting for.

EDITOR'S NOTE: For additional commentary, news and views from an AANHPI perspective, follow @DioknoEd on Twitter.

Olympics 2022: Eileen Gu makes history with her third medal

Eileen Gu celebrates her third Olympic medal.

Before Eileen Gu began her first run down the halfpipe, she closed her eyes and repeated her mantra three times, "My name is Eileen Gu, and I'm the best halfpipe skier in the world."

Then the 18-year old pulled her goggles over her eyes, pushed off on her skis and made history.

Eileen Gu, who competes for China, is the first action-sports athlete to win three medals at the same Olympics -- two gold and one silver.

In her first run, despite wind gusts, her series of spins, the California-born teenager scored a 93.25. On her second run, she scored two points higher.

Waiting for her third ring, she was informed that she was assured a gold medal. She fell to her knees and screamed, "Oh, my god!." In celebration, Gu went down the halfpipe as a sort of victory lap.

“I was very emotional at the top and I chose to do a victory lap,” Gu told the media of her celebratory final run down the halfpipe. “Because I felt like, for the first time, I really deserved it and I really earned it.”

Earlier in the Games, Gu won a gold medal in the freestyle Big Air and a silver in the Slopestyle.

MORE OLYMPIC STORIES:

US figure skaters do their best but come up short 

California-born Eileen Gu wins her second medal in freestyle

Filipino American snowboarder qualifies for for finals in Big Air

Ice dancers Chock and Bates will continue to compete after missing podium

Madison Chock and Evan Bates skate for a medal

Nathan Chen, Chloe Kim win gold medals in their events.

Eileen Gu evades question about citizenship after winning gold medal

US wins silver in figure skating team event

Born and raised in San Francisco, Eileen Gu will represent China

Five AAPI skaters named to USA Figure Skating team.

NBC puts Nathan Chen and Chloe Kim in the spotlight to promote their coverage

Snowboarding star Chloe Kim: "I'm going to go off"

20 Asian Americans and Asian Canadians to watch at the Winter Olympics

Emotions flood over Chinese American athletes in Beiging Games

EDITOR'S NOTE: This is a developing story. Check back later for updates. For additional commentary, news and views from an AAPI perspective, follow me on Twitter @DioknoEd.

With winds gusting left to right on a 3 degree F (minus 16 degree C) day, Gu put this contest to rest on her first run. It included a pair of 900-degree spins in different directions, each frosted with full, second-long reaches downward to grab her skis.

Gu scored a 93.25 for that, then on her second run, she scored two points better.

As Gu prepared to head down it for the first time of her last event, she placed her hands on her hips and closed her eyes, then repeated one sentence three times.

“I said ‘My name is Eileen Gu,” she told reporters as tears welled up in her eyes, “and I’m the best halfpipe skier in the world.”

 routeOn the medal round of the freestyle halfpipe skiing event

Olympics 2022: US figure skaters do their best but fail to medal

US figure skaters, from left, Karen Chen, Mariah Bell and Alysa Liu.

Updated Feb. 18.

American figure skaters Alysa Liu and Mariah Bell had impressive performances on Thursday (Feb. 17) evening but wound up in 7th and 10th place respectively.

The American figure skaters each put out performances to remember at the Olympic Winter Games Beijing 2022 but it was not enough to overtake the leaders. 

Alysa, from Richmond, Calif., was even in the lead for a while after 19 skaters had performed. However, after the final group performed their routines, she ended up in seventh place.

“I’m just really glad that all my training paid off because I’m here competing,” Liu told NBC. “And the goal of my whole life and my skating career was to compete at the Olympics. So now I can officially say I’m an Olympian.”

The women's competition was eventually won by Russian skater and World Champion Anna Shcherbakova. Another Russian, Alexandra Trusova won the silver and Japan's Kaori Sakamoto took bronze.

The skater expected to win it all, and the most controversial, 15-year old Kamila Valieva, fell during her free skate routine dropping Russia's top skater to fourth place and off the medal podium.

Kamila is at the center of controversy after test results showed that she had taken a banned drug before the Olympics. Her performance in the team competition vaulted the Russian team to first place but since the drug test results were discovered, the final results of the team competition remains up in the air.

Despite the controversial drug test results, the Russian teenager was allowed to compete in the individual skating competition. After the short program Tuesday, she was in first place.

Alysa Liu led the U.S. figure skaters finishin in 7th place.

Sixteen-year-old, Alysa was the US champion in 2019 and 2020 - her first title making her the youngest American ever to win a national title - at age 13. At age 16 years, she is the youngest member (in any sport) sent to Beijing by Team USA.

The California teen opened her "Violin Concerto in D" free skate with a triple Axel attempt, landing the jump but having it downgraded as she finished her rotation on the ice. She would score a 139.45 in the segment. Added to the score from her short program, her final score totaled 208.95.

Gone are the difficult quads that gave Alysa the US championships. She was the only US woman to perform the judge-pleasing four-revolution jumps.

“It was a lot easier when I was smaller, and a lot shorter,” said Liu, who stands approximately 5 feet, 2 inches. “It’s just been harder. Especially when COVID hit, I couldn’t train it as much. I stopped training it for a period. So, there was a lot of other factors, but definitely puberty (was one factor).”

“I’m so happy with two clean programs,” Liu said. “It’s better than I ever thought I would do at the Olympics, and I’m really happy about it.”

MORE OLYMPIC STORIES:

California-born Eileen Gu wins her second medal in freestyle

Filipino American snowboarder qualifies for for finals in Big Air

Ice dancers Chock and Bates will continue to compete after missing podium

Madison Chock and Evan Bates skate for a medal

Nathan Chen, Chloe Kim win gold medals in their events.

Eileen Gu evades question about citizenship after winning gold medal

US wins silver in figure skating team event

Born and raised in San Francisco, Eileen Gu will represent China

Five AAPI skaters named to USA Figure Skating team.

NBC puts Nathan Chen and Chloe Kim in the spotlight to promote their coverage

Snowboarding star Chloe Kim: "I'm going to go off"

20 Asian Americans and Asian Canadians to watch at the Winter Olympics

Emotions flood over Chinese American athletes in Beiging Games

Prior to Liu's skate, Bell, 25, performed her routine to "Hallelujah" earning her a 136.92 total. Her combined score of 202.30 left her in tenth place.

Liu was in eighth place after the women's short program, while Bell sat  at 11th.

Karen Chen, 22, finished her routine after falling during her routine.

Earlier, their American teammate Karen Chen, from Fremont, Calif., struggled in her free skate, her total score registering a 179.93 that gave her the 16th spot.

“It’s incredible to just know that I’ve made it here,” Chen said. “It did not go the way I wanted to, but I also had my moment in the team event, too. So, there are a lot of positive things to look at.”

EDITOR'S NOTE: For additional commentary, news and views from an AAPI perspective, follow me on Twitter @DioknoEd.

Olympics 2022: Freestyle skier Eileen Gu wins her second medal for China

China's Eileen Gu wins her second medal at the 2022 Olympics

China's golden girl, San Francisco-born Eileen Gu won her second medal at the Beijing Games and she still has her strongest event coming up.

As a member of China's Olympic team, Gu won a silver medal in the Slopestyle competition for freestyle skiers. The gold medal went to Mathilde Gremaud of Switzerland. Kelly Sildaru of Estonia won the bronze.

“I’m happy I was able to push through and turn that pressure into fuel, and it feels so, so good,” Gu said Monday after the Slopestyle event. “My goal coming into the Olympics was to have one gold and have one more podium in a different event. I’ve already met that goal, and going into my strongest event.”

Like her earlier event, Freestyle Skiing Big Air, it came down to her third and last attempt. This time, however, Gu failed to  top Gremaud's score. 

She almost pulled it off, though. Gu landed two 900s on the first and last jump and a double cork 1080 – or two off-axis flips with three spins – on the second jump.

Gu is the favorite to win gold in the Freestyle Skiing Halfpipe event which begins later this week. The Stanford-bound teen has special incentive to perform well in her favorite event. “My grandma's coming out today, so she's gonna watch me compete in halfpipe, which means the world to me,” Gu said. “She's never watching me compete before, so hopefully I can put on a good show for her.”

Eileen Gu rides a rail in one of her runs in the Slopestyle event.

In other Olympic news, Hailey Langland, the Filipino American from San Clemente, California, failed to improve from her 12th place finish Monday in the Snowboard Big Air event. She was the only American to qualify for the finals.

MORE OLYMPIC STORIES:

Filipino American snowboarder qualifies for for finals in Big Air

Ice dancers Chock and Bates will continue to compete after missing podium

Madison Chock and Evan Bates skate for a medal

Nathan Chen, Chloe Kim win gold medals in their events.

Eileen Gu evades question about citizenship after winning gold medal

US wins silver in figure skating team event

Born and raised in San Francisco, Eileen Gu will represent China

Five AAPI skaters named to USA Figure Skating team.

NBC puts Nathan Chen and Chloe Kim in the spotlight to promote their coverage

Snowboarding star Chloe Kim: "I'm going to go off"

20 Asian Americans and Asian Canadians to watch at the Winter Olympics

Emotions flood over Chinese American athletes in Beiging Games

EDITOR'S NOTE: For additional commentary, news and views from an AAPI perspective, follow me on Twitter @DioknoEd.

Olympics 2022: Skating pair Chock and Bates will continue competing after missing medal podium

Madison Chock and Evan Bates take a risk with their routine.

Madison Chock and Evan Bates scored a career-best score, 130.63, for their free dance routine at the Beijing Olympics. Sunday's score added to the rhythm dance points gave them an impressive total score of 214.77, but it wasn't enough to win a medal.

Their unusual interstellar theme -- a risky decision in a sport that exudes sexiness -- earned an outstanding score and put pressure on the skating teams to follow.  Unfortunately for the US pair, their rivals also came through with good enough scores to maintain their leads.

“We are disappointed we didn’t medal but we are still proud of our career and what we have achieved,” said Chock, who is Hawaiian and Chinese. 

The French team of Gabriella Papadakis and Guillaume Cizeron had a total score of 226.98 to capture the gold medal.

They were followed by the Russian pair of Victoria Sinitsina and Nikita Katsalapov who notched a season's best to win silver with a total score of 220.5. Bronze went to Team USA's Madison Hubbell and Zachary Donohue with 218.02 points.

MORE OLYMPIC NEWS:

Madison Chock and Evan Bates skate for a medal

Nathan Chen, Chloe Kim win gold medals in their events.

Eileen Gu evades question about citizenship after winning gold medal

US wins silver in figure skating team event

Born and raised in San Francisco, Eileen Gu will represent China

Five AAPI skaters named to USA Figure Skating team.

NBC puts Nathan Chen and Chloe Kim in the spotlight to promote their coverage

Snowboarding star Chloe Kim: "I'm going to go off"

20 Asian Americans and Asian Canadians to watch at the Winter Olympics

Emotions flood over Chinese American athletes in Beiging Games

The veteran pair — Chock in her third Olympics, Bates in his fourth — are leaving Beijing with at least one Olympic medal, a silver earned in the team competition. After the final scores were posted, Chock and Bates told the media that they had no plans to hang up their skates. 

"We're not deciding to retire after the season," Bates tells PEOPLE. "We are still really passionate about skating. We still feel young and we still feel like there's room for improvement and growth. And I keep hearing about four Games and being one of the oldest skaters. And I'm like, 'How did that happen?' I don't feel like I'm just as seasoned as that makes me sound."

The chemistry that they have on the ice is the result of their relationship off the ice. They say there's no set date for wedding bells.

"When we do decide to retire, we will definitely be having a big celebration," says Chock. "And that will probably include a wedding."

EDITOR'S NOTE: For additional commentary, news and views from an AAPI perspective, follow me on Twitter @DioknoEd.

Olympics 2022: Chloe Kim and Nathan Chen win gold medals

TWITTER / NBC

Asian Americans grabbed the Olympic spotlight Thursday: figure skater Nathan Chen and snowboarder Chloe Kim won gold medals in their respective events at the 2022 Beijing Olympics. 

Kim, 21, became the first woman to win back-to-back gold medals in the snowboard  halfpipe.

The Princton student did her best run in the half-pipe in her first attempt. She jumped high into the air in her five tricks, two of which were 1080s. That earned her a score of 94. None of her rivals came close to the score or her athletic performance.

At the end of her run, the Californian fell to her knees and instead of a look of triumph, she expressed surprise at her almost perfect performance.

Later she admitted she was nervous after having "the worst practice of my life." 

"I was dealing with all sorts of emotions (before the contest), but I reminded myself I just have to land one run, and I was so happy to do that," Kim told NBC.

Competitors are given three runs and the highest score is the one that counts. It is a good thing because in her subsequent runs, she attempted to do a 1260, four complete revolutions. She fell trying to do what no woman has done in competition.

SCREEN CAPTURE

Chloe Kim twists and turns during her first run in the snowboard halfpipe competition.

Later in the day, the 22-year old Chen was nearly perfect in his freestyle long program.

Skating last after three Japanese skaters captured the three top spots, Chen was confident and smooth on the ice, skating to "Rocketman" by Elton John. Chen, the quad king, landed five quads with ease, jumping high and spinning four times before hitting the ice again. No other skater was able to match him Thursday.

"I mean it's a whirlwind right now - everything is happening so fast," a breathless Chen told NBC. "That program is really fun to skate. At the end, I really just had a blast out there. When I finished the last jump, I thought I was pretty close (to the win)."

SCREEN CAPTURE

Figure skater Nathan Chen finishes his gold medal performance.

RELATED:

Eileen Gu evades question about citizenship after winning gold medal

US wins silver in figure skating team event

Born and raised in San Francisco, Eileen Gu will represent China

Five AAPI skaters named to USA Figure Skating team.

NBC puts Nathan Chen and Chloe Kim in the spotlight to promote their coverage

Snowboarding star Chloe Kim: "I'm going to go off"

20 Asian Americans and Asian Canadians to watch at the Winter Olympics

Emotions flood over Chinese American athletes in Beiging Games

After disappointing himself in 2018 when he won a bronze medal in PyongChang, Chen trained for four years with an eye to the 2022 Olympics for the chance to redeem himself. Except for one contest, the Yale student won every competition, enroute to three world championships. 

The Beijing Olympics has been special for Chen. His flawless freestyle program Thursday was added to his record-setting short program Tuesday.

"You can't imagine how it feels," he said of his Olympic-winning moment. "This means the world to me. I have the family connection (to Beijing, where his mother was born). It's amazing to have this opportunity to do it here," said Chen.

“That’s ... beyond affirming oneself as American. That’s affirming your whole history.”

EDITOR'S NOTE: For additional commentary, news and views from an AAPI perspective, follow me on Twitter @DioknoEd.

Olympics 2022: NBC spotlights Nathan Chen, Chloe Kim to promote Winter Games and Team USA

Nathan Chen and Chloe Kim will represent the USA at the Beijing Olympics.

In case you've been living under a rock, or you've been living on social media platforms, you've probably missed these promos for NBC's Olympics coverage featuring men's figure skater Nathan Chen and freestyle snowboarder Chloe Kim.

Coming at a time when Asian Americans are being targeted by ignorant haters, NBC's promotion of the athletes as representatives of America is refreshing and ironic at the same time. The message it sends counters the movement hate depicting AAPI as perpetual foreigners.

For the last several years, Chen has been the world's best male figure skater, consistently winning international competitions since his disappointing third-place finish in PyeongChang, South Korea in 2018.

If the 22-year old Yale student can maintain his athletic performance for the Olympics -- he's the only competitor to complete six quads in his long routine -- Chen is almost a lock for a medal.

Kim's skill on the half-pipe snowboard event and her bubbly personality and sense of humor did the 17-year old well after South Korea appearing on talk shows and performing surprisingly well on The Masked Singer.

All the attention and the loss of privacy took its toll, though. To get her head straight, Kim took time off to attend Princeton University trying hard to be just an ordinary college student.

Now 22-years old, Kim took a break from her studies last year to train for this year's  Olympics. She quickly gained her old form, winning three gold medals at the X Games.

Both of these athletes representing the U.S. and AANHPI everywhere, are expected to medal in their respective events in the 2022 Winter Olympic Games in Beijing, which begin Feb. 3.

Chen and Kim are two of the 13 Asian American athletes at the Games representing, not only the U.S. but the Philippines and China, too.

RELATED:

Born and raised in San Francisco, Eileen Gu will represent China

Five AAPI skaters named to USA Figure Skating team.

EDITOR'S NOTE: Watch for more Olympic coverage when the Games start. For additional commentary, news and views from an AAPI perspective, follow me on Twitter @DioknoEd.

Clarkson meets Green on the NBA court and makes history

Jordan Clarkson, left, and Jaylen Green made history Thursday.

 

It took a long time -- 75 years -- before two players of Filipino descent met on a National Basketball Association court.

When the Utah Jazz faced the Houston Rockets in the Toyota Center in Houston, history was made when Utah's Jordan Clarkson and Houston's Jalen Green played against each other Thursday evening (Oct. 28).

The night marked the first time two players with Filipino heritage played in the same game. Clarkson’s grandmother is from the Philippines, as does Green’s grandfather.

The outcome of the game -- Utah 122, Houston, 91 -- didn't matter to Filipino American basketball fans on the Rocket's first Filipino Heritage Month. 

The stats don't tell the complete story. Clarkson, the most experience of the two players, wound up with 16 points, 16 rebounds and 3 assists. Nineteen-year old Green, ironicly his fifth game in the NBA, ended the evening with 13 points, 3 rebounds and 3 assists.

Since both players were guards, they sometimes found themselves guarding each other. Ironically, Green sported a jersey with "0" on it and Clarkson's number was "00." Despite their similar zero numbers, they scored big with the Filipinos who attended the game. 

In honor of the historic occasion, the Rockets held Filipino Heritage Night at Toyota Center, where T-shirts with Green’s No. 0 were given to each fan. The fans were also treated with an exclusive Q&A with Green. To their delight and surprise, Clarkson came out of the visitors' locker room to join them.

"Just us two being here, it's super inspirational for the youth and every Filipino-American, every Filipino, anybody with Filipino blood," Clarkson said after the game.

Basketball is wildly popular in the Philippines, A basketball court, even with a dirt floor, can be found in the smallest barangay (neighborhood). Every Filipino basketball fan follows Clarkson's feats on the court and his jersey is one of the most popular in the Philippines. He has played with Gilas Pilipinas, one of the pro teams in the Philippines Basketball Association, the NBA's counterpart. 

"When I step on the floor," Clarkson started to say, and then corrected himself to include Green, "when we step on the floor, we know we represent the country, represent our people, and we go out there and do what we do."

"We feel the love, we feel the support," added Clarkson..

Tokyo Olympics: Wrapping up the Olympics for AAPI athletes

Japanese American Michael Norman won a gold medal as a member of the 4x400 relay.

The Tokyo Olympics ended Sunday. Some athletes got all the media attention they could handle. NBC didn't bother with the lesser known sports because Americans were not in contention for a medal. 

Some AAPI athletes medaled, others simply tried their best and that is all we can expect from these Americans of Asian descent. Nevertheless, they are all champions and role models. They left their stamp on these Games and in the world of sports.

The  Olympics of 2021 were like no other Olympics, with the cloud of the coronavirus hanging over the entire event. 

Athletes retire and others begin the long road to prepare for the next Olympics in 2024 that will be staged in Paris.

We met several AAPI athletes as their names were splashed throughout American media outlets: Suni Lee, Lee Kiefer, Carissa Moore and Sky Brown among them and many who this blog overlooked. AAPI athletes competed without the glory and the spotlight for their country or the identification of their ethnic background. There are probably more that could be added to the stories written by this blog. My apologies if I didn't tell their stories, all of which tell the story of America.

Track: 4x400 men's relay wins gold

It's been a nightmare for the U.S. men’s track and field team, but Japanese American Michael Norman took it especially hard.  

He heard all the criticism back home. Questions about if this is the worst U.S. men’s team of all time and their lack of gold medals. He had expected to win a medal in the 400m individual race but had to settle for fifth place. Norman was so upset, he couldn't speak to the interviewer after the race. He was clearly upset because he so badly wanted to perform well for his relatives in Japan as well as for the U.S.

Some even claimed the U.S. sprinters choked in their races. 

However, in the last track and field event of the Tokyo Olympics on Sunday, Norman and teammates, Michael Cherry, Bryce Deadmon and Rai Benjamin got redemption in the finale of the 4x400 men's relay leaving the competition in the dust to win the U.S. men's first gold medal in the sprints at the Tokyo Games.

“What we did on the track today was phenomenal. I’m proud of the guys. On the track, today was about the 4x400 and USA track and field. You got to put your own selfish interests to the side and just go out there and really run for others,” Norman said. “I’m glad we were able to accomplish this goal."

Justine Wong-Orantes saves the ball before it hits the floor.

Volleyball: U.S. women beat Brazil in final to win first-ever gold

All that was missing was a cape; the way Justine Wong-Orantes was flying around the court saving out-of-bound balls back into play or diving for impossible digs. 

Spikers may get all the glory but the U.S. wouldn't have won the gold without the play with the Olympics No. 1 libero.

The play-by-play announcers kept repeating praises for the play of Wong-Orantes allowing the Americans to beat a strong Brazil team, 3-0, to win the program's first gold medal.

Badminton: A serious injury hurts chance at advancing

The best hope for the U.S. to get its first medal in badminton went down in flames in the round of 16 for women's singles when America's Beiwen Zhang suffered an injury that forced her to withdraw from the match against China's He Bing Jiao.

Zhang won the first set and was in the midst of winning the second set when the scary injury occurred.

She suffered an Achilles tendon tear that required surgery. She was flown back to the U.S. immediately for the surgery.

“Beiwen is already focusing on what is next and immediately getting back to the States to begin the recovery work and to return to the court.” said team leader Alistair Casey.

Jordan Windle of the U.S. diving team

10m Platform: Diving for two countries and his foster father

Jordan Windle finished 9th in the 10-meter platform diving competition but that didn't make his story any less compelling.

Windle said he was diving for two countries, the U.S. and Cambodia, the land of his birth. He was also competing for his single father, who is gay. Windle was adopted when he was 2-years old, sickly and weighing only 1i6 pounds.

“Without him making all the sacrifices that he has, and his love and support the whole time we’ve been together, I really wouldn’t be where I am today," Windle said about his father. "I have him to thank for everything, all my accomplishments. It’s been an amazing journey with him, and we’re still rolling.”

Skateboarding: No. 1 ranked skateboarder fails to make finals.

Despite his No. 1 ranking prior to the Olympics and reigning world champion, Heimana Reynolds of Hawaii, did not make it to the finals of the Olympics’ inaugural men’s skateboarding park competition in Tokyo today.

The 23-year old Reynold's score of 63.09 was second in his preliminary heat (the first of four flights of five skaters each). But high scores in the ensuing rounds knocked Reynolds out of the top eight who advanced to the finals.

Reynolds, who is of Tahitian, Hawaiian, Filipino and Chinese heritage. fell on his first two attempts. But on his third and final 45-second try he performed an impressive and clean run for a 63.09 score. At the time, it put him second behind fellow American Zion Wright, who scored 67.21 on his first attempt.

Table tennis: Still waiting

The U.S. is still without a medal in table tennis. Liu Juan, seeded 67 out of 70, gave it her best shot, advancing to the round of 16 before losing to 14th seed Yu Mengyu of Singapore.

The U.S. hasn't reached the quarterfinals since 2008. The highest-ranked player is 21-year old Kanak Jha, ranked No. 25 in the world. Among the women, Lilly Zhang is ranked No. 28. 

Other members of the U.S. Olympic Table Tennis team are Huijing Wang, Nikhil Kumar and Xin Zhou.

Related stories for this Olympic Games:

Sky is the limit for 13-year old skateboarder

For karateka, the journey is as important as the quest for a medal

Libero is unsung hero of the U.S. women's volleyball; men disappointed in showing

Taiwanese American fencers lead U.S. team to a bronze medal

Asian Canadian swimmers secure medals for their country

Hmong American Suni Lee wins gold for women''s all-around gymnast

Japanese American swimmer wins silver in 1,500m freestyle 

Paige McPherson battles her way to fourth in taekwando

Filipino American cyclist pedals her way to seventh in road race

Surfing super star Carissa Moore brings medal home to Hawaii

Huge upset as Naomi Osaka beaten on Olympic tennis

With Simone Biles out, all eyes turn to Suni Lee

Filipino American fencer Lee Kiefer wins gold and makes history

Despite surge of hate, AAPI athletes proud to represent United States

Volleyball bonds Shoji brothers with other AAPI teammates

Naomi Osaka lights torch at Olympic stadium

U.S. fencing team has led by Asian Americans

Hawaiian skateboarder jumping and rolling towards an Olympic medal

U.S. AAPI shuttlers hope for first medal in badminton

British Golf Open champion Colin Morikawa flying to Tokyo

Asian Americans form nucleus of US. table tennis team

Tokyo Olympics: The sky is the limit for 13-year old bronze medal winner in skateboarding

Great Britain's Sky Brown flies high at her first Olympics.

She's a bundle of optimism and energy and she just won a bronze medal in skateboarding at the Tokyo Olympics. The little girl with the cool name, Sky Brown, is only 13-years old and she's already a star.

The Tokyo Games is where skateboarding was first included as a sport.

Although representing Great Britain, where her father is from Sky was born in her mother's home country of Japan. Despite her dual citizenship, she qualifies to be called a Japanese American since she  lives most of the year in California's Oceanside, with easy access to surfing and skateparks, two of her favorite activities.

“I want to inspire girls and boys because I feel at the Olympics everyone is watching me,” she told the Evening Standard . “I want to be the little girl going the highest, and some girls thinking if she can do it I can do it too.”

Having just turned 13, she’s Britain’s youngest-ever Olympic athlete, she nearly died from an accident a year ago, and she already has a million Instagram followers, a published book, her own Barbie doll and a huge Nike sponsorship deal.

Sky is one of the athletes who benefited from the coronvirus-spurred year's delay of the Olympics. In June 2020, when Olympic teams would be picked for the summer's Games, she had an accident and nearly died, according to her parents.

In June 2020, Sky fell 15ft from a ramp in training, fracturing her skull, breaking her left arm and wrist and suffering lacerations to her heart and lungs. “Sky had the gnarliest fall she’s ever had and is lucky to be alive,” her father Stu said at the time. “Sky remains positive and strong. The whole medical team is shocked to see her positivity.”

On social media while recovering, Sky posted, rather jauntily, “it’s OK to fall sometimes.”

After winning skateboarding's bronze medal, Sky Brown wants to party with friends.

When she lives in Japan, she pals around with the Japanese skateboarders, some as young as she. She has invited them over to her home for a "sleepover," something little girls like to do.

On the medal's podium, the skateboarding whiz shared the podium with Japan's gold medalist Sakura Yosozumi, 19 and silver medalist Kokona Hiraki, who turns 13 later this month. Sky refers to the pair as "two of my favorite people."

"Skateboarding is one big family," she says. "We push each other and we have fun together, and I think skateboarding is just a friendly sport."

The future looks bright for the teenager. In Paris, she wants to compete in skateboarding and surfing.

Tokyo Olympics: Despite surge of hate, AAPI athletes will represent America 'no matter what.'

Naomi Osaka has been outspoken against racial injustice in the U.S.K

It's one thing to represent your country, but the pressure intensifies when one has to represent your race. That is a heavy burden for AAPI athletes at the Tokyo Olympics. 

Naomi Osaka, whose mother is Japanese and father is Haitian, grew up in the United States but plays for Japan where she was born, perhaps is the most outspoken example of the toll "representing" takes on an individual. 

Osaka plays for Japan and had to drop out of the French Open earlier this summer because of mental health issues. The four-time Grand Slam champion admitted that she has been struggling with depression.

Her biracial identity -- Japanese and Haitian -- and culturally, "American" could have contributed to her condition. After speaking out about racial justice during the U.S. Open last fall she made it clear where her sympathies were on behalf of the Black Lies Matter Movement. She was also outspoken against the recent surge of racist attacks against Asian Americans amid the coronavirus pandemic.

“If people loved Asian people as much as they love bubble tea, anime, mochi, sushi, matcha etc…” tweeted Osaka, who has a Haitian father and a Japanese mother and has lived in the United States since she was three.

"Imagine profiting/enjoying things that come from a culture and then attacking/diminishing the ethnic group that created it,” she continued.

It was a powerful statement Friday, when she Osaka chosen to light the Olympic torch the product of two continents and three cultures. In a moving, dramatic moment, Osaka lit the Olympic flame to officially start the Games. Symbolically, her prominent presence holding her torch aloft, can be seen as permission to speak out on racial justice and inequality and representation.

Russell Jeung, a professor at San Francisco State University and the co-founder of the reporting forum Stop AAPI Hate, said athletes speaking out has been an important component in spreading awareness.

“I think that’s definitely helped,” he told Today. “It initially wasn’t getting much mainstream attention, but once Asian American athletes started talking about it and posting on social media, there was a lot more traffic.”

Asian Americans occupy a "conditional status of belonging" due to the perpetual foreigner stereotype, Jeung told an Axios reporter. "If they're winners, [Americans will] accept them because America likes to be winners. If they lose, then we'll get vilified and blamed."

That puts Asian Americans in an unfair "double bind," Jeung told Axios. They not only represent themselves and their countries, but also have to represent their race.

Like Black athletes, Asian Americans are representing a country that doesn't fully accept them, said Jeung. Stop AAPI Hate started collecting reports of anti-Asian attacks in March 2020. In a year's time, over 6,600 reports of anti-Asian hate incidents collected by the group, with the majority against women and girls. 

Sakura Kokumai will compete in karate. in Tokyo.

While victims of the attacks cut across all social strata, from elderly pensioners to Hollywood celebrities and Washington politicians. Although there was no breakdown of the incidents that occurred against athletes, Jeung said they did receive multiple reports of harassment from Asian joggers, professional basketball player Jeremy Lin was called "coronavirus" during a game and karate ka Sakura Kokumai,was verbally assaulted during one of her workouts in a public park in California.

"I was a target because of how I looked. Not because I am an athlete. Not because I compete in karate — but because I am Asian. And no matter how you look at me, I will always look Asian," said Kokumai, who will be at the Olympics competing in kata, a formalized routine of karate techniques.

Although she considers herself a private person, Kokumai, 28, felt the need to go out of her comfort zone to speak out.

"I wish there was one thing that would fix this problem, but the first step is spreading awareness. And then we have to have empathy and compassion for one another. Over time we can help change things in the world for the better.

"As a Japanese American who was born and raised in Hawaii, I have always considered the United States my home. Hawaii is where I learned karate when I was seven. The U.S. is the country I have competed for since I was 14. But Japan is where my family is from. 

"And now to be able to go back to Tokyo to compete in kata in the Olympics — to represent the United States in a sport that originated in Japan — it’s a very special thing. I have a lot of people in Japan and in the U.S. who are rooting for me, and I want to show up and do what I do best. It’s something that makes me proud to be Japanese American," said Kokumai. 

Yul Moldauer will represent America "no matter what."

The anti-Asian hate "shouldn't be normal," said U.S. gymnast Yul Moldauer“ to The Oklahoman. “Asian-Americans shouldn’t have to go through the name calling, the stereotypes and the jokes.”

"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," said Moldauer, a Korean American adoptee.

"I'm just going to put that (bigotry) away because there are so many other great Americans in this country I get to represent."

"There's a segment of the population that is ... always going to be thinking less of Asian Americans," said American East Conference commissioner Amy Huchthausen, who co-founded the AAPI Athletics Alliance this year. "But I hope that Asian American athletes representing Team USA use this moment to speak about it and bring more awareness to it ... There's power in athletes using their platform."