Victoria (Torri) Huske is just 22, and she is already a successful swimming star who is an expert in butterfly stroke. She hopped in the pool when she was 5, and ever since then, there was no stopping her. Huske might not have achieved an Olympic gold medal in 2021 (she did win silver), but cut to 2024, and she was the winner of 5 medals in the Olympics.
Huske won three gold medals (4x100m mixed medley relay, 4x100m medley relay, and 100m butterfly) and two silver medals (100m freestyle and 4x100m freestyle relay. Throughout all the ups and downs, her parents have been her biggest supporters. So let’s take a look at who her parents are.
Who Is Torri Huske’s Father, Jim Huske?
Jim Huske is an executive coach and organizational consultant, with a degree from the University of Iowa and an MPA from Northern Illinois University.
He is pretty involved in Arlington’s local pool scene—credited early AAC training as the foundation for Torri’s success. He also shared his pride when Torri returned from Tokyo with silver. He is a 1988 University of Iowa graduate. Jim Huske is an Executive Coach and an Organizational Consultant and Assessor.
He graduated with a triple major in communications, political science, and sociology and completed his master’s degree in public administration at Northern Illinois University in 1993. Jim later joined the office of former U.S. Senator Robert Kerrey as a legislative staff member in 1994. He was also a presidential management member in the White House Office of Personnel Management from 1993 to 1994.
Jim expressed his pride after his daughter won the Olympic trials. “It’s been surreal. You work toward this, you see her do so many things to get there, and when it happens, you’re amazed. Everything that’s gone on is just a whirlwind,” to a Virginia news station.
Jim also expressed his happiness after Torri won gold at Paris. “Her friends came from Arlington just to be with her, and it was the greatest moment, because she had the people she loved most right next to her,” her father, Jim Huske, said to NBC Washington. “She gave me the longest hug ever,” said her mother, Ying Huske. “That was so nice.”
Who Is Torri Huske’s Mother, Ying Weng Huske?
Born and raised in Guangzhou, one of eight children, Torri Huske’s mother, Ying Weng Huske, experienced the Cultural Revolution back home in China.
She was as an architect, she later studied engineering at Virginia Tech, and currently works as an IT specialist at Naval Sea Systems Command (Carderock). She knows the pain of being an immigrant and has worked very hard to become a successful IT expert. She has served as a server analyst and administrator for the McKean Defense Group. She now works as an IT specialist at the Naval Sea Systems Command in Carderock, Maryland.
In an interview with NBC Sports in 2021, Ying said, “The government paid for our tuition, and they owned us. I came [to the U.S.] for a better life, better opportunities, and a better life for my future family.”
Huske has seen her mother and father work hard for a better future, and she knows what her mother went through back home. This motivated her to become the best version of herself. Huske spoke about her mother’s contribution to her career in March 2023: “I feel like she is a really big inspiration to me. Yeah, I’m just lucky to have her. I feel like I’m living out my American Dream (as per USASwimming).”
“Thirty years ago, maybe 31 years ago, I came here, so I was hoping to have a better life, better opportunities, or maybe, better life for my future kids, future family,” Ying said as per NBC Washington. “She has been a wonderful kid since the beginning, and I’m so proud of her. Now she’s representing the U.S. and competing in the Olympic Games, and she also brought home a gold medal. That’s just unreal.”
Where Are Torri Huske’s Parents From & What Is Their Ethnicity?
Torri has a rich cultural heritage thanks to her parents and is of American and Chinese heritage. Her mother, Ying Weng Huske, moved from Guangzhou, China, to the U.S. in 1991. Her father, Jim Huske, is American-born and raised in the U.S. and is of European descent. She experienced the rich cultures of both China and Europe thanks to her parents.
Huske knows all about the struggles that her mother had to go through in order to come to America for a better future. Huske told USA Swimming, “My mom has a cool story. She grew up in China and grew up in a labor camp in China. After Mao Tse-tung died and the colleges were closed for a long time because they didn’t want people to be super educated.”
Jim Huske told NBC Sports about his wife, “She can solve problems like nobody’s business. Torri’s mind is similar to her mom’s.” Jim and Ying Huske have been married since 2000. Torri has always said that her mother is one of her biggest inspirations.
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