🍵 Who Pays More for Gold?

In case you missed it:

• In women's diving synchronized 10m platform, Yuxi Chen and Hongchan Quan from China won gold and Jin Mi Jo and Mi Rae Kim got silver from North Korea

• Yawen Deng from China wins gold in Cycling BMX freestyle

• Sinnousuke Oka from Japan wins gold in Men’s gymnastics all-around while Boheng Zhang and Ruoteng Xiao from China get silver and bronze

• Korea wins gold in men’s team fencing sabre

• Torri Huske of USA wins silver in women’s 100m freestyle

• Zhanle Pan from China wins men’s 100m freestyle

Olympics

4-time Olympian’s parents want her to have a “normal job”

Lily Zhang, a four-time Olympian who represents the USA in table tennis, advanced to the top 16 in women's singles at the 2024 Paris Olympics on Monday. Despite the 28-year-old Chinese American's success, her parents still wish she would pursue a more traditional career path

Parents’ traditional wishes: In an interview with the Wall Street Journal, Zhang's mother, Linda Liu, a former table tennis player herself, revealed that she and her husband tried to discourage their daughter from playing and encouraged her to have a "normal" job. "We are traditional Chinese parents," she said. "We always want her to focus on school. I always wanted her to get a job and be a regular girl.” Despite their reservations about her career choice, Zhang's parents continue to support her.

Common sentiment among Asians: Jun Gao, Team USA's Chinese-origin coach, noted that prioritizing academics over sports is common among many Asian parents. Zhang admitted that she has considered her mother's perspective and even almost quit the sport, acknowledging the uncertainties of a sports career. "There's so many things that can happen that can take away your stability in an instant," she said.

Olympics

Hong Kong and Singapore offer Olympic medalists the most money

Hong Kong and Singapore are offering the highest financial incentives in the world for medal winners at the Paris 2024 Olympics. Hong Kong offers $768,000 for gold, $384,000 for silver and $192,000 for bronze, while Singapore provides $745,300 for gold, $372,650 for silver and $186,325 for bronze.

Golden rewards: Indonesia ($300,000), Kazakhstan ($250,000) Malaysia ($216,000) and India ($210,000) also provide significant cash incentives for gold medals. Meanwhile, the U.S. offers a relatively meager $38,000 for gold, $23,000 for silver and $15,000 for bronze.

Beyond cash prize: On top of the cash rewards, several countries also offer non-monetary bonuses for Olympic medalists. Kazakhstan provides apartments to medalists, Malaysia offers cars and South Korean medalists receive pensions. Hong Kong's MTR Corporation also offers free lifetime transit passes to medal winners.

Olympics

Chilean Chinese table tennis player fulfills Olympic dream at age 58

Zeng Zhiying, also known by her Chilean name Tania, has fulfilled her childhood dream of competing in table tennis at the Olympics as the oldest athlete on Chile's national team at 58 years old. Speaking to the Associated Press ahead of the Paris Olympics, she shared that she “never imagined” she would ever make it, adding, “Qualifying for an Olympics is a big, gigantic dream, and being able to fulfill it at that age is a huge happiness.”

Her dream: “Even when I was a little girl and they would ask me what my dream was, I would say: ‘Become an Olympian,’” Zeng told CNN. Her Olympic journey ended after a 4-1 loss to Lebanon’s Mariana Sahakian in the preliminary rounds of women’s single table tennis on Saturday.

About Zeng Zhiying: Born in Guangzhou in 1966 to a professional table tennis coach, Zeng began training in the sport at 9 years old, enrolled at an elite sports academy at 11 and turned professional a year later. She moved to Arica, a northern city in Chile, in 1989 to teach children table tennis. Despite multiple retirements, she returned to competitive play during the COVID-19 pandemic and became an icon at the 2023 Pan American Games in Santiago, where she won a bronze medal in the team competition.

Olympics

North South Korean table tennis players unite to share powerful selfie

North Korean table tennis players were spotted striking a pose for a selfie with their South Korean opponents at the Paris Olympics. The wholesome moment occurred on the podium during the medal award ceremony for the mixed doubles table tennis event, where South Korea finished with bronze medals, North Korea with silver and China with the gold.

Smile for the camera: A picture from the spectator's perspective shows South Korea's Lim Jonghoon holding up his Samsung Galaxy phone for a selfie, joined by his teammate Shin Yu-bin, North Korea's Ri Jong-sik and Kim Kum-yong and China's Wang Chuqin and Sun Yingsha. “I congratulated them when they were introduced as Silver medalists,” Lim told South Korean media.

Boiling tension: The wholesome selfie came amid rising tensions between North and South Korea, notably just over a month after the North sent balloons filled with trash to the South, which the latter responded with balloons carrying USBs with K-pop. In January, North Korean leader Kim Jong-un declared the South as the country's “principal enemy” and threatened to ”thoroughly annihilate” if provoked.

News

Trailblazing White House executive chef retires after nearly 3 decades

Filipino American Cris Comerford, the first woman and first person of color to serve as the White House’s executive chef, retired on July 26 after 29 years of crafting menus for state dinners, luncheons and other social events for five different presidents.

Background and historic achievements: The Manila-born chef arrived in the U.S. at age 23 and began her White House career in 1995 as an assistant chef. She was appointed executive chef in 2005, becoming the first woman and first person of color to hold the position. Before the White House, she honed her culinary skills in Chicago hotels and Washington D.C. restaurants. She has been celebrated for her ability to cater to the diverse tastes of both Democratic and Republican presidents. Her notable achievements include a 2010 victory on “Iron Chef America” alongside Bobby Flay and the orchestration of complex state dinners, such as a 2014 event for 50 African leaders that incorporated ingredients from their homelands.

What the White House is saying: In a statement, First Lady Jill Biden praised Comerford for her service. “I always say, food is love. Through her barrier-breaking career, Chef Cris has led her team with warmth and creativity, and nourished our souls along the way,” she said. “With all our hearts, Joe and I are filled with gratitude for her dedication and years of service.”

News

Christina Yuna Lee’s murderer is sentenced

Assamad Nash, the man convicted of the brutal murder of Christina Yuna Lee in her Manhattan Chinatown apartment in 2022, was sentenced to 30 years-to-life in prison on Tuesday. He received 25 years for second-degree murder and five years for first-degree sexually motivated burglary, with the possibility of parole after 30 years.

About the case: Nash, 27, followed Lee, 35, into her Chrystie Street apartment on Feb. 13, 2022. After forcing his way into her unit, he attempted to sexually assault her. Lee defended herself with a kitchen knife, but Nash overpowered her and stabbed her over 40 times. Neighbors who heard screams called 911. Police arrived but took over an hour to break into Lee’s home. Nash, a career criminal out on supervised release for another case, hid under the bed but was found and arrested. He pleaded guilty to his charges last month.

Reactions: Lee’s father, Sungkon Lee, expressed his grief during the sentencing. “Why did the murderer single out Christina, someone unknown to him, and perpetuate such a horrendous crime? Why did the murderer brutally kill her by stabbing her more than 40 times? My family cannot forgive these evil acts,” he said. Lee’s aunt, Boksun Lee, said “No matter what kind of sentencing the perpetrator will get, it will mean nothing to me.” The family also criticized bail reform laws that allowed Nash to be free at the time of the murder and the police response to the 911 call. They also expressed hopes to have a homeless shelter named in Lee’s honor.

Meet ZiBEZI- Behind the Art Parasite

ZiBEZI originally started off as a rapper and spent 17 years in the music business before pivoting to visual arts and freestyle painting. His work gained recognition from the 2019 Oscar-winning movie 'Parasite,' directed by Bong Joon Ho.

In the Oscar-winning film, ZiBEZI’s art is shown during the scene when Ki-jung poses as an art therapist to land a job within a wealthy Korean household. Ki-Jung analyzes the drawings of the family’s child Da-song.

Final Bites

South Korea continues team archery dominance with 10th- straight Olympic gold: South Korea clinched its 10th consecutive Olympic gold medal in women's team archery at the Paris Games on Sunday, defeating China 5-4 in a dramatic shoot-off. The victory extends South Korea's unparalleled dominance in the event, having won every gold medal since the sport was introduced at the 1988 Olympics. Despite an early lead, South Korea faced a strong challenge from China, who leveled the score before the nail-biting shoot-off determined the final outcome.

Michelle Yeoh champions displaced athletes at Paris Olympics: Academy Award winner Michelle Yeoh is representing displaced athletes as part of the Refugee Olympic Team at the 2024 Paris Olympics. In an Instagram video, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) member introduced the team and encouraged global support. “They have fought harder and traveled further to get to Paris…Please support them with all your hearts,” she said. Over at Today, she said the Olympics is “hope for them” and “giving them a chance to have their dreams come true.” The Refugee Olympic Team, which represents 120 million displaced people, is composed of 37 athletes competing in 12 sports, participating under the acronym EOR (Équipe Olympique des Réfugiés).

olympics

View more on Instagram

Kamala Harris draws interest of Indian American voters: Vice President Kamala Harris is beginning to entice Indian American voters, who make up a significant portion of the population in some swing states. On Tuesday, the likely Democratic nominee, joined by rappers Megan Thee Stallion and Quavo, led her first major rally in Atlanta, whose suburbs house growing Indian American communities. “The South Asian community here is fairly excited because this is really unprecedented,” state senate candidate Ashwin Ramaswami told AP News. Indian Americans also compose the largest fraction of North Carolina’s Asian American population. Hetali Lodaya, a Durham attorney, told WUNC of Harris, “I feel very confident that she's someone who's largely on the same page with me.”