America's adopted athletes.
Many of the men and women representing the US Olympic team started their lives somewhere else. Here are six immigrant Olympians hoping to bring home gold for the USA.
Mariya Koroleva Synchronised Swimming
Soon after she moved to the United States from Russia for her father's career, a young Koroleva tried her hand at synchronised swimming as a way to fit in. Though she soon showed enough promise to consider training for the Olympics, she faced another obstacle on her path to gold: Koroleva says her biggest challenge was the several years it took to become a US citizen and qualify for the US National Team.
Danell Leyva Gymnastics
Leyva's mother and step-father were both noted gymnasts in Cuba, competing on the national team. Now, they run a gym in Miami, where Leyva immigrated as a child and currently trains. The world champion on the parallel bars, Leyva considers his best event to be the high bar.
Nick Delpopolo Judo
Born in Belgrade, Delpopolo spent the first 21 months of his life in a crowded, crumbling Montenegro orphanage. Then, he was adopted by a couple from New Jersey and moved to the US. Now he's ranked number 1 in the US and number 16 internationally in Judo. He has located his birth parents, but is determined to contact them only after he's made even more of a name for himself.
Khatuna Lorig Archery
As soon as she received US citizenship, Lorig placed a call to the US Olympic committee to discuss competing. She is the only athlete to have represented three teams in the Olympics, first representing the United Soviet Team in 1992, when she won the bronze medal. In 1996 and 2000 she competed for her home country of Georgia, and in 2008 she represented the US in Beijing.
Tony Gunawan Badminton
At the 2000 Sydney Olympics, Gunawan took home the gold in doubles badminton for his home country of Indonesia. One year later he began coaching and competing with the US team, but only qualified for the Olympics this year after becoming a citizen. His doubles partner, Howard Bach, is also an adopted athlete. Bach was born in Vietnam and immigrated to the US at aged 3.
Meb Keflezighi Marathon
After a brutal civil war broke out in his home country of Eritrea, a young Meb Keflezighi fled with his family to Italy. When they were granted refugee status by the US, they relocated to San Diego. Now, he's in the record books for being the oldest man to win the US trials for the marathon. He hopes to bring home the gold after winning the silver medal in 2004.
Source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-18821583
OP: Excellent stuff. Team GB has its own stories similar to these like Mo Farah who came to the UK as a child from Somalia with his parents fleeing conflict and is now one of our brightest medal hopes. I despise the term 'Plastic Brits' which some smear some of our athletes with. Its outright racism to me.
Mariya Koroleva Synchronised Swimming
Soon after she moved to the United States from Russia for her father's career, a young Koroleva tried her hand at synchronised swimming as a way to fit in. Though she soon showed enough promise to consider training for the Olympics, she faced another obstacle on her path to gold: Koroleva says her biggest challenge was the several years it took to become a US citizen and qualify for the US National Team.
Danell Leyva Gymnastics
Leyva's mother and step-father were both noted gymnasts in Cuba, competing on the national team. Now, they run a gym in Miami, where Leyva immigrated as a child and currently trains. The world champion on the parallel bars, Leyva considers his best event to be the high bar.
Nick Delpopolo Judo
Born in Belgrade, Delpopolo spent the first 21 months of his life in a crowded, crumbling Montenegro orphanage. Then, he was adopted by a couple from New Jersey and moved to the US. Now he's ranked number 1 in the US and number 16 internationally in Judo. He has located his birth parents, but is determined to contact them only after he's made even more of a name for himself.
Khatuna Lorig Archery
As soon as she received US citizenship, Lorig placed a call to the US Olympic committee to discuss competing. She is the only athlete to have represented three teams in the Olympics, first representing the United Soviet Team in 1992, when she won the bronze medal. In 1996 and 2000 she competed for her home country of Georgia, and in 2008 she represented the US in Beijing.
Tony Gunawan Badminton
At the 2000 Sydney Olympics, Gunawan took home the gold in doubles badminton for his home country of Indonesia. One year later he began coaching and competing with the US team, but only qualified for the Olympics this year after becoming a citizen. His doubles partner, Howard Bach, is also an adopted athlete. Bach was born in Vietnam and immigrated to the US at aged 3.
Meb Keflezighi Marathon
After a brutal civil war broke out in his home country of Eritrea, a young Meb Keflezighi fled with his family to Italy. When they were granted refugee status by the US, they relocated to San Diego. Now, he's in the record books for being the oldest man to win the US trials for the marathon. He hopes to bring home the gold after winning the silver medal in 2004.
Source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-18821583
OP: Excellent stuff. Team GB has its own stories similar to these like Mo Farah who came to the UK as a child from Somalia with his parents fleeing conflict and is now one of our brightest medal hopes. I despise the term 'Plastic Brits' which some smear some of our athletes with. Its outright racism to me.