Vul Moldauer was adopted from South Korea as a baby boy. And his journey wasn’t easy. When he was adopted, his parents in Colorado were told he would have a lifetime of medical issues having been born prematurely to a chemically dependent mom.

Not only is Moldauer a valued member of the men’s gymnastics team during these Olympic games, but he has proven to be an inspiration to the Asian-American community given the rise in anti-Asian sentiment during the pandemic. Moldauer is quoted saying—

I couldn’t be more blessed. What if I didn’t get adopted? Or what if I didn’t do gymnastics? What would my life look like?