One of the best parts about the Tokyo Olympics is that so many gymnasts on Team USA got their chance to shine. And one of the gymnasts who really proved herself was Sunisa Lee, known better by her fans as Suni Lee. So, what's Suni Lee's story? How did she get into the sport?
Luckily, her dad John chatted with Today about how Suni — who happens to be the first Hmong American to compete in the Olympics — got her start. The 18-year-old had finished second behind Simone Biles when trying out for the team.
"I am proud," John said. "The family's proud. The community is very proud of her." And as she's just 18, she still likely has a few years of competitive gymnastics left before retiring.
Suni faced a big personal challenge right before preparing for the Olympics, which was eventually moved to 2021 based on the health crisis. Suni's dad, John, had an accident at home that paralyzed him from the chest down. The accident happened while he was out helping a neighbor, which is an act that shows true character.
But her dad looks at Suni for great examples of determination as he tries hard to heal and learn new ways to move. Since 2019, his body has been getting stronger — but it'll still take some time for him to feel fully comfortable without the same type of mobility. The accident stopped John from fulfilling one promise he made to his daughter, but surely she understands the reason why.
"Before I got hurt I always told Sunisa, 'If you make it to the Olympics, I'm gonna run out there and do a backflip.' But I can't do it now," he said. Surely, he — like the rest of us — were backflipping in spirit after watching Suni secure the gold medal for the women's individual all-around competition.
John has been helping Suni with her gymnastics along the way, but he has no trouble giving her full credit for getting so far. "The real secret is: I think it's her. I think she's pretty natural," he said. However, he did do his best to support her. When she was growing up, he went so far as to build her a balance beam in their backyard to practice on.
Suni's dad watched his daughter compete from home, and he was excited to watch her take home the gold. "There's no word that can express this right now," he told Today. "I don’t think she can have any words to express, either. I could see it in her eyes that she was crying, so I know she's excited and happy and we're so proud of her."
Sunisa and her family hail from St. Paul, Minnesota. Her specialty is the uneven bars, and her family — who originate from Laos — feel like Suni's win will help best represent their culture. "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 said, per Town & Country. "Many groups of Asians get lumped together. Did you see the movie with Clint Eastwood, Gran Torino? It was based on the Hmong people, and even still no one knows. Maybe because of Sunisa, people might know us."
Suni started her sport at the ripe old age of 7. At the age of 14, she became so dedicated to the sport that she accepted a full scholarship to Auburn University verbally, years before she was even old enough to attend. Aside from her dad's bad fall, she had other big instances in her life that could have distracted her from the sport, including the untimely death of her aunt and uncle, who both died from the virus just weeks apart from each other.
While this would have rightfully distracted many other young gymnasts, Suni chose to stay strong and keep her focus on gymnastics. It's possible she knew that her relatives, who helped her parents with raising her when she was a small child, would have wanted her to continue forward and become the champion they knew she was.
"I just didn't want to see myself fall back," Suni said. "I don't want to disappoint my coaches or my parents."
It's a good thing that Suni figured out college early on, since it might have been hard to choose in the midst of preparing for the Olympic Games. She's already getting ready for her first semester at Auburn. If she happens to have roommates, hopefully they won't get too star-struck to focus on their studies.
"I'll probably bring my medals,'" she told Star Tribune. "They're a really good reminder. They're going to push me every single day to be even better." In total, Suni will be going home with three medals, which is quite an accomplishment. At college, she'll be somewhat familiar with her new coach.
And that's because it'll be Jeff Graba. Prior to college, Suni had been training with Jeff's twin sister, Jess Graba, at the Midwest Gymnastics Center in Little Canada. Even though their coaching styles might be completely different, at least Suni knows she's in good hands.
Suni has an incredible backstory but also such a wonderful future ahead of her. She's very excited about college. While she'll still be competing in gymnastics, it'll be a good change of pace for the star.
"That's my way of celebrating, going to college," she said. "It's really important to me."
