Twisting the game

Three Olympic winners resonate with local athletes

Jayanti Jha, Diya Bahl, Minjae Kang, Taryn Lam, Jefferson Le, Aashna Patel, Kalyani Puthenpurayil, and Shalini Rao
August 18, 2021

FUHSD athletes found ways to resonate with Lydia Jacoby, Suni Lee and Simone Biles. Graphic by Jayanti Jha, Aashna Patel and Kalyani Puthenpurayil

While Olympians have proved themselves to be the best in their respective sports, the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, postponed to 2021, proved that these athletes are human first, whether through mental health challenges to a viral Tik Tok presence. From Simone Biles’ “twisties,” Suni Lee’s historic win and 17-year-old swimmer Lydia Jacoby’s gold medal, read more here about how FUHSD students have found ways to see themselves in these top athletes.

About the Writers

Jayanti Jha, Co-editor-in-chief

Jayanti is currently a senior and a co-editor-in-chief for El Estoque. She plays field hockey on the MVHS Varsity team as a forward. In her free time, she loves to rewatch "Dance Moms," try new foods and play the only song she knows by heart on the guitar: the theme song for "The Office."

Diya Bahl, Opinion Editor

Diya is currently a senior and an opinion editor for El Estoque. In her free time, she enjoys going on long drives, binging TV shows and listening to her favorite music.

Minjae Kang, Copy Editor

Minjae Kang is currently a senior and a copy editor of El Estoque. In his free time, he enjoys listening to music, watching movies and chatting with friends.

Taryn Lam, Co-Editor-in-Chief

Taryn is currently a senior and a co-editor-in-chief for El Estoque; she has been on staff for three years and enjoyed her time spent as a features editor during her junior year. In her free time she enjoys exploring cozy book stores, going on adventures, spending time with family and hanging out with her super spicy friends.

Jefferson Le, News Editor

Jefferson is currently a senior, third-year staff writer and News Editor for El Estoque. In his free time, he likes to go hiking and play games like Valorant.

Aashna Patel, Features Editor

Aashna is a senior and a features editor for El Estoque. She plays field hockey at MVHS and in her free time, she enjoys reading, drinking boba and spending time with her friends.

Kalyani Puthenpurayil, Co-Editor-in-Chief

Kalyani is currently a senior and a co-editor-in-chief for El Estoque. She previously served as a sports editor and is a midfielder on the field hockey team at MVHS. In her free time, she likes to read, listen to music and spend time with her little brothers and friends.