Meet Sunisa 'Suni' Lee, the 18-year-old gymnast who kept Team USA's individual all-around gold-medal streak alive
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Meredith CashJul 29, 2021, 22:05 IST
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Meet Sunisa Lee, your women's gymnastics individual all-around champion.
Lee, who goes by "Suni," won gold in Thursday's women's gymnastics individual all-around final at the Tokyo Olympics.
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The 18-year-old's path to gold opened up considerably when Simone Biles, the American superstar and most decorated gymnast of all time, pulled out of the competition due to mental health concerns.
Biles' withdrawal put the United States' longtime dominance in the event into doubt, but Lee got the job done in spectacular fashion to become the fifth-straight American to win the all-around.
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She posted an impressive 14.6 on the vault to start off the day strong.
Then she moved to the uneven bars - by far her strongest apparatus - and excelled for a competition-best 15.3.
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Despite watching many of her competitors waver on the balance beam, Lee maintained her composure and earned a solid 13.833.
And she rounded out the stellar showing with a floor exercise worthy of gold.
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All in all, Lee posted a 57.433to narrowly edge out Brazil's Rebeca Andrade for the top spot.
With the win, Lee - already the first Hmong American to compete in the Olympic Games - became the community's first gold-medal winner.
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The St. Paul, Minnesota, native is the daughter of immigrants.
Both of her parents moved to the United States from Laos as children.
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Her grandfather, Cher Yee Lee, fought alongside the US military in the Vietnam War before permanently moving to the States.
She began participating in gymnastics at 6 years old.
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And some 10 years later, she competed in her first senior USA Gymnastics National Championships while grappling with a familial tragedy.
Just days before the competition, Lee's father fell off a ladder while helping a friend and injured his spinal cord, leaving him paralyzed.
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He still uses a wheelchair but has slowly regained some of his mobility.
Suni's big win on Thursday gives the young star her second Olympic medal.
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She led Team USA to silver in the team all-around, remaining unruffled - or at least appeared to in her performances - following Biles' unexpected departure.
And she has a chance to win two more medals as she competes in the individual apparatus finals for the uneven bars and balance beam.
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After the Olympics, Lee is committed to attend Auburn University and compete for the school's gymnastics program.