Triad swimmer represents his Laotian heritage in the Olympics [Video]

A Triad native is representing his family’s heritage at the 2024 Paris Summer Olympics.Steven Insixiengmay, who grew up in Forsyth County, swam for Laos in the Men’s 100m breaststroke on Saturday.His parents own and operate the Winston-Salem-based restaurant Thai Sawatdee, which has two locations. Get the latest news stories of interest by clicking hereInsixiengmay’s mother, Sengphet Sayaphanthong, immigrated from Laos more than 20 years ago. She said she never lost touch with her heritage and Steven also grew up around it. “Everyone here is Lao,” she said, referring to those working at her restaurant. “So he kind of knows about Lao culture.”Cooking is one way Sayaphanthong says her children have connected with their culture. She loves to cook, and so does Steven. “Mostly, he eats Lao food,” she said. She says growing up, her son tried several extracurriculars. “He did Taekwondo. He did tennis, soccer, horseback riding, piano and violin,” …