We have news of Alysa Liu and other notable Asian American Winter Olympics athletes. Milano Cortina witnessed an interesting mix of triumph, disappointment, and controversy for Asian American competitors. Some of that news extends far beyond athletics.
In the highly unlikely case that you missed it, Alysa Liu won gold in figure skating. This caps an interesting career where she retired at the young age of 16 and then unretired to become a world and Olympic champion. Watching her performance, I am amazed when she does that trick of bending her leg back and holding on to her skate behind her head. Amazing flexibility! My back hurts just thinking about that.
Chloe Kim took silver in her half pipe event, giving up her crown to South Korean Choi Gaon. It’s really amazing that she got a silver at all considering her injuries. Number Two Son said that she thought that Chloe Kim should have won, but I didn’t see the finals and can’t give an opinion. The ice skating team of Madison Chock and Evan Bates took silver in Ice Dancing. Laurence Fournier Beaudry and Guillaume Cizeron from France finished ahead of them, generating debate over the questionable scoring in the finals from the French judge. Chock and Bates do not plan to appeal.
Eileen Gu, skiing for China, won a gold and two silvers in freestyle skiing. As a result, she became the most decorated woman in that sport. She also became a villain to some since she competes for China. As this BBC articles notes, some people in American media are asking why she doesn’t speak out on Chinese human rights abuses. Gu is often compared unfavorably to Alysa Liu. Liu’s father Arthur, an activist during the Tiananmen Square protests, fled after China crushed the protests. Chinese intelligence later spied on Alysa and her family in the United States.
Alysa Liu’s treatment is Chinese media is similar according to the BBC. Any praise of Alysa Liu in Chinese social media is usually followed by comments saying that her family are traitors.
