Pai Yun-yiao (Chinese: 白允瑤; pinyin: Bái Yǔnyáo; born 14 March 1969), also known as Elva Adams, is a Taiwanese taekwondo practitioner.[1]
Early life and education
Pai was born in Taipei, Taiwan on March 14, 1969.[1][2] She began training in taekwondo when she was 13 years old under coach Raymond Hsu.[1] After two years, she earned her black belt and soon started competing in international tournaments representing Chinese Taipei.[1]
In the early 1990s, Pai moved to the United States and attended University of Texas at San Antonio using the money she had earned from winning taekwondo competitions.[1] She graduated in 1995 with a bachelor's degree in accounting.[1]
As of 2016, Pai works as vice president of business banking at Wells Fargo.[1][3] She remains active in the international taekwondo community as a referee, coach, and poomsae competitor. At the 2016 Summer Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, she became the first female international referee from the United States to officiate taekwondo.[3] She currently serves as an international referee for World Taekwondo.[5] She coached the United States women's taekwondo team at the 2014 World Taekwondo Championships in Mexico, where they won bronze.[3] In 2016, she won the silver medal for Woman's Team Over 30 at the World Taekwondo Poomsae Championships in Lima, Peru.[3] In February 2024, Pai was appointed president of Kombat Taekwondo's central United States region.[5]
Pai married her coach, Raymond Hsu, at age 17.[3] They have since separated.[3] As of 2016, Pai's romantic partner is Team USA Taekwondo coach Brian Singer.[3]
