| Gymnast Yul Moldauer of the U.S. performs on the floor exercise during the artistic gymnastics men's apparatus final at Ariake Gymnastics Centre in Tokyo, Sunday. AP |
By Kwak Yeon-soo
Some netizens here have volunteered to help Olympic gymnast Yul Moldauer, born in Seoul and adopted by American parents, search for his birth family. The 25-year-old U.S. gymnast has made waves in Korea for his Korean heritage.
While airing the artistic gymnastics men's apparatus final, local broadcaster KBS introduced Moldauer's Korean name, Kyung-tae, and the sportscaster explained, “He has a longing for Korea and is searching for his older sister, who may still be living in Korea.” Moldauer finished sixth in the finals.
The subject of Moldauer soon lit up Korean social media. Much of the attention has focused on searching for his birth parents and sister.
“Yul Moldauer was adopted to America. His Korean name is Kyung-tae. He is searching for his birth parents and his sister, who may be living in Korea. I hope he finds his birth family after the Games,” a Korean netizen tweeted. At the time of this writing, the post had been shared more than 3,900 times and garnered more than 1,300 likes.
It was reported that Moldauer was abandoned at the age of one by his biological mother. He was adopted and raised by his parents in Colorado.
He got into gymnastics at the age of seven, as he had medical problems resulting from his premature birth. By age nine, he had made the Junior National team. In 2018, he won the all-around title at the National Collegiate Athletic Association Championships.
“I always tell myself, 'If I got a tattoo, it would be a half-American, half-South Korean flag.' I'm from South Korea. That's in my blood, so it's always going to be a special place to me. And hopefully one day, within the next year, I can go visit my home city in South Korea and see what the culture is like and what it's all about,” he told Voice of America on July 24.