Minnesota Governor Makes a Stunning Gesture in Honor of Olympic Gold Medalist Sunisa Lee

American gymnast Sunisa Lee won her first-ever Olympic gold medal at the ongoing Tokyo Olympics 2020 yesterday. Competing in the all-around final, the 18-year-old edged out Brazilian Rebeca Andrade to become the fifth consecutive American gymnast to win the event.

Hailing from the state of Minnesota, Lee won silver with Team USA in the team event a couple of days back. While she made her own form of history in Tokyo, her home state’s governor gave a tribute to her accomplishment after her victory.

Minnesota Governor announces ‘Sunisa Lee Day’ to honor her victory at the Tokyo Olympics 2020

Despite making her debut at the Games in Tokyo, Lee put on a display of sheer brilliance in the all-around final. Although her score on the vault wasn’t the best, she aced the uneven bars, balance beam, and floor exercise. With a total score of 57.433, she struck gold by finishing ahead of Andrade by the merest of margins.

Russia’s Angelina Melnikova claimed bronze despite scoring higher on the vault than Lee. While Simone Biles’ withdrawal put the USA’s gold medal in jeopardy, Lee stepped up to make her country proud. In honor of her achievement, Minnesota Governor Tim Walz announced July 30, 2021, as ‘Sunisa Lee Day’.

This gesture from Walz couldn’t be more fitting for Lee, who will look to continue her impressive form in Tokyo.

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Can Lee add more medals to her tally in Tokyo?

After an intense few days of artistic gymnastics, the sport now faces two days with no scheduled events. Lee will look to keep her medal run going on August 1, when she competes in the uneven bars final. In addition, her balance beam final will take place just two days later on August 3.

However, the participation of Simone Biles in those finals remains unknown. Should the 24-year-old choose to take part, Lee could face much stiffer competition from the four-time gold medalist in these finals.

Despite that challenge, Lee showed exceptional technique in the all-around final which makes her a favorite in the two finals. Should the 18-year-old add more gold medals in Tokyo, she could be an even bigger threat in three years’ time at the 2024 Paris Olympics.

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