Laura Zeng
Staff Reporter
https://twitter.com/laurayzeng | laura.zeng@yale.edu
Laura Zeng is a staff reporter covering arts and culture. Her column, “Ask an Olympian,” runs bi-monthly. Hailing from the suburbs of Chicago, she is interested in Architecture and the Humanities.
Author Archive
LAURA ZENG
ZENG: When artichokes grow up

Former Olympian, current columnist, and job-seeking senior Laura Zeng revisits Marina Keegan's classic "Even Artichokes Have Doubts" column and tracks down the students interviewed to see where they are now.

February 6, 2025

LAURA ZENG
ZENG: In the aftermath

Every serious athlete will — at the end of their career — experience a unique type of death. The best thing anyone ever said to me after I competed at the Tokyo 2021 Olympic Games was not “congratulations,” but “I’m sorry for your loss.” It validated the period of mourning that came next, acknowledging an emptiness that seemed otherwise embarrassing to admit and confusing to describe. I didn’t know I needed grief to be named. But in the aftermath of it all, when the Games no longer cast a light but a shadow on my life, realizing that some form of depression was inevitable came as a huge relief. 

December 3, 2024

LAURA ZENG
ZENG: Good pain, bad pain

“Hey Laura, you were an Olympian. Can you tell me whether I should be worried about my *insert body part* hurting?”  Recently, I’ve had a […]

April 24, 2024

LAURA ZENG
ZENG: Why is it so hard for an Olympian to work out?

I’m on the fifth floor at Payne-Whitney, half-walking, half-running, half-assing it at 4.5 speed on the treadmill. I have my earbuds in, but I have […]

September 15, 2023

LAURA ZENG
ZENG: What did it mean to be Asian-American as an elite athlete?

When I was 12 years old, I attended my first international rhythmic gymnastics competition. After being named to the junior national team of the United […]

April 24, 2023

LAURA ZENG
ZENG: Struggling with body image, then and now

Content warning: This article discusses disordered eating and eating disorders. The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline is a hotline for individuals in crisis or for those […]

March 7, 2023

LAURA ZENG
ZENG: Have you heard of the University Games?

Laura Zeng ’25 describes how the University Games compare to the Olympics — from lodgings to mentality.

February 14, 2023

LAURA ZENG
Percussion in motion: Grammy-nominated Yale alums perform “Seven Pillars” at Schwarzman Center

The percussion concert “Seven Pillars” marks the first public performance held in Commons at the Schwarzman Center since its opening.

February 12, 2023

LAURA ZENG
ZENG: What does it mean to retire?

On the one-year anniversary of her retirement, Olympian Laura Zeng ’25 reflects on what moving forward means as a college student.

January 23, 2023

LAURA ZENG
Midnight Oil Collective turns making art into making money

What does it mean to be a working artist and venture capitalist?

October 26, 2022

LAURA ZENG
ZENG: From one Olympian who tested positive to another 

When I was 18 years old, I competed at the Pan American Championships in Lima, Peru, before going on vacation with my family to Machu […]

March 6, 2022