Immigration Law

IMMIGRANT OF THE DAY: LIANG CHOW - OLYMPIC COACH

By Greg Siskind

A hearty congratulations to Chinese-born Liang Chow who coached American Shawn Johnson on to Olympic Gold on the balance beam. This has been a homecoming as well. Chow has not been home in 14 years and he had not seen his grandparents in all that time.

Chow was the captain of the Chinese gymnastics team in the 80s and now runs a gym in Des Moines, Iowa. The cheerful coach (and did anyone see that jerk of a pole vault coach who was caught on tape dressing down his student who had just won silver?) has not only helped his student develop the skills needed for gold, but he also has helped her develop the confidence to execute perfect routines.

Chow overcame adversity in the year leading up to the games when his gym became a victim of the Iowa floods that made world headlines. He was forced to relocate his business at one of the most critical and high pressure points in his career.

Full post as published by Greg Siskind's Blog on August 20, 2008 (boomark / email).