The U.S. Olympic table tennis team consists of three first-generation Chinese immigrants and three second-generation Asian Americans (two ethnic Chinese and one Indian). Yue Wu, Jiaqi Zheng, Yijun Feng, Tim Wang, Lily Zhang and Kanak Jha are ready to dish out some blocks, chops and lobs in Rio de Janeiro.
Rio marks the first time Team USA qualified for both men's and women's full table tennis events in an Olympic setting, thanks to the game's explosion of popularity from a traditionally marginalized sport in America, as well as the "leftovers" players assisting from China.
Yue Wu is a perfect example. She was born and raised in Beijing and played professionally for the city before moving to Fort Lee, New Jersey, in 2008. The 26-year-old became a U.S. citizen in 2014. She won the 2015 Pan Am Games and earned an automatic entry to Rio this summer.
"It's my dream to play in the Olympics," she told ESPN.com. "If I can win gold or get a medal, I think it will really help the sport in the U.S. I want to help the sport grow."
Indeed, table tennis has grown immensely in America. Just ask the 16-year-old Kanak Jha.
Born and raised in the San Francisco Bay Area, Jha picked up his paddle at six years old. He trains at India Community Center, one of the largest table tennis clubs in the U.S. He arrives in Rio as the youngest American Olympian. He is also the first American born in the 21st century to qualify for the Games.
"I don't think about (age) too much," Jha said. "When you're over there, it doesn't really matter how old you are."
Americans have never won an Olympic medal in table tennis. This is unlikely to change in Rio, as it remains nearly impossible for any country to challenge China's status-quo domination in the sport. But as Jha said before heading to Rio: "We will try our best."