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But her father was never far from her mind. She was born Sunisa Phabsomphou to her mother, Yeev. FORT WORTH, Texas Suni Lee has been waiting for this. "We're just all so happy, we cheered her on. Just days after her father's devastating accident, Suni Lee made her senior debut at the US gymnastics championships - competing in honor of her father. It hasnt been an easy road to Tokyo for Suni Lee, whos overcome a number of obstacles to secure a spot on Team USAs womens gymnastics team as the squads top qualifier only behind superstar Simone Biles. She got there with hard work, perseverance and support from her family especially her dad, John. [67], A few months after the 2020 Olympic Games Lee competed on season 30 of Dancing with the Stars. Auburn gymnastics coach Jeff Graba welcomes Suni Lee to Auburn on Tuesday, Aug. 10 As an elite gymnast, Lee competed primarily as individual while representing the gym owned by her coach,. pic.twitter.com/kXcA3FQsJa. She lost an aunt and uncle to COVID-19, her father was paralyzed from the chest down, and she broke her foot while practicing for the Tokyo Games, per Elle. [71] Lee was eliminated during week 9 of the competition, finishing in 5th place. Suni Lee may have achieved greatness at such a young age but, it was not a smooth ride for her by any means. Lee began practicing gymnastics on a makeshift balance beam constructed by her father from an old mattress. In an interview with Elle magazine, Suni opened up about how her Olympic dreams started with just a lumpy mattress and a piece of plywood. Her coach's twin brother, Jeff Graba, is the school's gymnastics coach and Lee will continue competing at the university. [44] In April, Lee competed at the American Classic on the floor exercise, uneven bars, and balance beam, placing first on the latter two with scores of 15.200 and 14.550. When gymnastics superstar Biles dropped out of the team finals and the all-around contest, Lee became the de-facto leader and helped Team USA secure the silver medal behind Russia, who scored the gold. Her father John Lee had suffered a near-fatal accident in the year 2019. She also won the gold medal on bars ahead of Morgan Hurd and Biles, placed fourth on beam behind Biles, Kara Eaker, and Leanne Wong, and won the bronze medal on floor behind Biles and Jade Carey. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Thanks for contacting us. [45] In May, Lee competed at the U.S. Classic on the uneven bars and balance beam. Olympic hopeful Sunisa Lee gets a big boost from father's presence at U Simone Biles, by all accounts the greatest gymnast of all time, was all but guaranteed a gold medal in the individual all-around at the Tokyo Olympics. [41], Later that year, Lee spent two months recovering from a broken bone in her left foot,[42] as well as two months recovering from an Achilles tendon injury. Junior National Team Member Sunisa Lee Commits To Auburn", "Sunisa Lee on NCAA, Becoming a Senior, and More", "USA Gymnastics names women's 2018 Pac Rim, Junior Pan Am Championships Teams", "USA brings home 29 medals from men's, women's individual event finals", "Biles, Wong win all-around titles at 2018 GK U.S. Classic", "2018 U.S. Championships Results, Recaps, Photos, Videos", "USA Gymnastics announces women's spring international team assignments", "2019 City of Jesolo Trophy Live Blog The Seniors", "2019 City of Jesolo Trophy Live Blog Event Finals", "Gymnast Sunisa Lee places 2nd in US Championships. Lee considers John to be her father, and she began using his surname professionally as a teenager. After Suni won gold on Thursday, her mom told CBS Minnesota her daughter's hard work "finally paid off, and she is a gold medalist.". Lee competed in the Hopes division in 2015 and became a junior elite in 2016. [1][5][6] Lee is of Hmong descent, and her mother, a refugee, immigrated to the United States from Laos as a child. let's make this season the best one yet. Lee described the Hmong community as really close and said their support has been amazing.. Hope you like it. [61] As a result, Lee was named SEC freshman of the week for the first time. Two years later,Simone Bileswitnessed her teammate's special bond with her father firsthand at the 2020 Olympics. As for her biological dad, his identity is unclear. [48][49], On the first night of the Olympic Trials, Lee performed all four routines, with an uneven bars score of 15.300, and ended the night in second place behind Biles. Entertainment Television, LLC A Division of NBCUniversal. Your source for entertainment news, celebrities, celeb news, and celebrity gossip. I love your daughter, Suni, so much and I know how much she loves you,"Simonesaid in a video onToday. And if shes managed to post the second best all-around scores at both nationals and the trials while battling injury, imagine what she can do when healthy. Her father John Lee had suffered a near-fatal accident in the year 2019. 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It was super raw and she was just a little kid, but she had some talent, Graba told Elle, recalling when they met. Suni Lee dedicates Gymnastics to her father, Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License. She got there with hard work, perseverance. Suni Lee's uneven bars routine is just next level. I really do want to go to college and do college gymnastics. [52], During the team final, Lee was initially set to compete only on uneven bars and balance beam. I LOVE YOU ALL.". Additionally, she advanced to the uneven bars final in second place behind Nina Derwael and the balance beam final in third behind Guan Chenchen and Tang Xijing. Lee was photographed right after she found out she won the gold medal. Gymnast's father shares journey of personal struggle. Leading up to the Opening Ceremony, were highlighting 23 athletes in 23 days. Suni also won gold on uneven bars at the 2019 US Championships even though she had a partially-healed hairline fracture in her tibia. UPDATE: Lee won gold in the womens gymnastics all-around! [9][10], At six years old,[1] Lee started gymnastics at the Midwest Gymnastics Center in Little Canada, Minnesota,[9] a St. Paul suburb. Last year, Suni suffered a leg and foot injury, spending two months out of action. John Lee also broke his right wrist and fractured several ribs. The gold medal came after years of hard work and overcoming injuries. After years of training, Sunisa Lee is officially going to the Toyko Olympics to compete as a member of the U.S. Women's Gymnastics team alongside Simone Biles, Jordan Chiles, Grace Callum, and individual competitors MyKayla Skinner and Jade Carey. Up next up is Suni Lee. All rights reserved. The accident injured his spinal cord, paralyzing him from the chest down initially. His daughter immediately made the trip worthwhile, performing a gorgeous uneven bars routine that, if she makes it to Tokyo, will make her a contender for the gold medal. Suni Lee competes on the balance beam during the U.S. Olympic Gymnastics Trials on June 25 in in St. Louis. She adds the Team USA Olympic silver medal and her all-around gold to her collection. Suni Lee and her dad had dreamed of Olympic gold. She made it reality. "A lot of people don't understand Hmong people or that we went through a really rough life to get here to the United States," John told ESPN. Lee currently has the most difficult bars routine in the world, which she performed during the team competition. "Hi, Mr. Lee, it's Simone. WAR EAGLE! Father's injury weighs on her, but South St. Paul gymnast Suni Lee Suni locked in her Olympic dreams after clinching a spot during the two-day trial event by finishing the meet in second place behind Simone. She placed fifth on floor despite using a simple layout for two of her tumbling passes. Suni Lee dedicates Gymnastics to her father Dad recently suffered a spinal injury after a fall. Lee grew up in St. Paul, Minnesota, where there is a large Hmong community that settled there as refugees in the late 1970s and 1980s. Sunisa Lee, an 18 year-old from St. Paul, Minnesota, just won an Olympic gold medal in the women's individual all-around gymnastics competition. [47], In June, Lee competed at the 2021 National Championships. Her mom, Yeev Thoj, and her. In late January, it was announced that Lee would compete at the Stuttgart World Cup taking place in March. We know *exactly* which destinations are going to be hot this year because we asked our favorite globe . That beam is still there., In 2019, Suni reciprocated the support her father had given her by being by his side following a devastating fall from a ladder that left him paralyzed from the waist down. Annie Goldsmith is the news writer for Town & Country, where she covers culture, politics, style, and the British royal family. But its the unparalleled mental strength that she has shown during the most difficult time of her life that make her the person she is.. [6] She has three half-siblings, Evionn, Lucky, and Noah, through her mother's relationship with Lee, and Lee had two children, Jonah and Shyenne, from a previous relationship. She placed second on beam and fifth on bars after falling off twice. USA's Suni Lee wins gold in the women's individual all-around FORT WORTH, Texas Suni Lee has been waiting for this. The family is not able to be at the Olympics due to capacity restrictions because of the pandemic. The Masters Is the Ne Plus Ultra of #IYKYK Luxury, 9 Things You Didn't Know About the Green Jacket, T&C Culture Watch: On the Agenda for April 2023, Russian & Belarusian Players to Play at Wimbledon, Gwyneth Paltrow Trial and Ski Slope Etiquette. Just before her uncle died from the virus, she was only able to say goodbye over Zoom. Sunisa lee (@sunisalee_) April 12, 2020. Lee did not compete for the remainder of the season due to the pandemic. i love you so much, you are the reason i do it all. More so, however, for her. [23], In February, USA Gymnastics announced that Lee would make her senior debut at the 2019 City of Jesolo Trophy. She began pursuing the sport at age 6 after watching videos on YouTube. Lee soon caught the attention of Jess Graba, a coach at Midwest Gymnastics, who has been training her ever since. "It means a lot," John Lee said. A post shared by Sunisa Lee (@sunisalee_), Suni will also be the first Hmong American to compete in the summer games. We had the full house so we were pretty loud. Suni Lee: What You Don't Know About The Olympic Gymnast Inside Gymnast Sunisa Lee's Journey to Olympic Gold - ELLE I just didnt want to see myself fall back, she said. But her road there has been paved with sacrifice and tragedy. What happened to Suni Lee's dad? Gymnast's father shares journey of It would be the greatest accomplishment of any Hmong person in the US ever, her dad previously told Elle for a profile story on the star gymnast. By clicking Sign Up, you agree to our Terms and Conditions and that you have read our Privacy Policy. U.S. gymnastics star Sunisa Lee's long, winding journey to - ESPN "Do your best.". Lee is a six-time member of the U.S. women's national gymnastics team and is the first Hmong-American Olympian. Here's how. The 18-year-old talks about dad's support throughout her career. Lee's 15.4 point score on bars was the highest score of the night. Ashley Landis/AP Minnesota native Sunisa Lee, also. Even though John was seriously injured, he urged his daughter Suni not to let it affect her and backed her to chase her dreams byparticipatingin the National Championships. As Suni Lee looks forward to challenging for the podium spot in the gymnastics individual category, let's find out how her father helped her in realising her dreams. But at a large watch party, dozens of Lee's friends and family members jumped for joy and cheered when she won the gold. He even built her own balance beam to help her with her training in their backyard because they couldn't afford to. On November 15, 2022, Lee announced that the 20222023 season would be her final season competing for Auburn University so that she can return to elite gymnastics with the goal of competing at the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris. During the first day of competition, Lee executed an uneven bars routine of 6.8 difficulty, scoring 15.3. Simone Biles Surprises Olympic Teammate Suni Lee's Father With New First published on July 29, 2021 / 12:38 PM. [50] However, Lee's two-day combined score was less than Biles' and she finished the competition in second place, automatically qualifying for the Olympic team alongside Biles. Required fields are marked *. Lee is considered to have the most difficult uneven bars routine in the world, which starts with her 6.7 difficulty score. Now, not only is Lee an Olympian, but she became the first Hmong American to make a U.S. Olympic team, which was a personal goal of hers. According to reports, Suni's father fell off of a ladder while helping a friend trim a tree on Aug. 4, 2019, just one day before the then-Olympic hopeful left for the national championships. All Rights Reserved. Right now, Im just trying to compete for everybody, for the Hmong community, my dad and my family, Lee said, via Olympics.com. Suni has considered pulling out of the competition. I dont want to disappoint my coaches or my parents.. Now I realize that if he didnt push me like that, I wouldnt be in the spot I am right now with the Olympics so close. Lee's family is Hmong, an ethnic group of people primarily from Southeast Asia and areas in China. [25] She also won the gold medal on bars and floor, as well as the bronze medal on beam behind reigning World Champion Liu Tingting of China and teammate Emma Malabuyo. Suni Lee's dad was paralyzed two years ago. Now, he's a model for the Who Is Olympic Gymnast Suni Lee's Biological Father? - Life & Style [63] On February 25, in a meet against Kentucky, Lee earned her first perfect ten on the balance beam and became the first collegiate gymnast to perform a Nabieva on the uneven bars. But while the Olympian was mourning the death of her relatives, she was also helping to take care of her father, John Lee, who was left paralyzed after an accident. US gymnast Suni Lee wins Olympic all-around after injuries - CNN By Annie Goldsmith Published: Jul 29, 2021. After Simone Biles withdrew from the games for mental health reasons, Lee took advantage of the opportunity to win first placeBiles had not lost an all-around competition since 2013. The following day she was named to the team to compete at the 2019 World Championships in Stuttgart alongside Biles, Kara Eaker, MyKayla Skinner, Jade Carey, and Grace McCallum. She had that really quick-twitch good power, recalled Koy, who still coaches at the gym. Sign up for the For The Win newsletter to get our top stories in your inbox every morning. Lee, an 18 year old from Minnesota, will make her Olympic debut at the Tokyo Olympics, where shell certainly draw attention with her world-class uneven bars routine, which gives her a chance to contend for several medals, ranging from team competition to all-around to event finals. In August of 2019, her father fell off a ladder and injured his spinal cord, leaving him partially paralyzed. Dad recently suffered a spinal injury after a fall. The year 2019 was a roller coaster year for Suni Lee. After Simone withdrew from the all-around final, Suni earned her history-making gold medal.
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