Suni Lee announced herself on the grandest stage in the world with a gold medal win at the Tokyo Olympics. The 19-year-old won the gold in the individual all-around category as the Americans celebrated an otherwise bleak outing in gymnastics. Lee stepped up after Simone Biles opted out of the competition, citing mental health issues.

Lee maintained the United States’ perfect record of winning every individual all-around event in the women’s category since 2004. She also kept her promise to her father before leaving for the Olympics.

Simone Biles’ special gesture for Suni’s father

The world witnessed history as Suni Lee soared to the top of the podium at the Olympics. We also witnessed the emotional moment when Suni decorated her father with her gold medal from the event. The moment left everyone teary-eyed and overcome with emotion, including her teammate, Simone Biles.

After seeing the special relationship between Suni and her father, Simone wanted to do something special for him. She collaborated with TODAY to gift a heartwarming present to John Lee. They sent him a video message in which Biles said, “Hi, Mr. Lee, it’s Simone. I love your daughter, Suni, so much, and I know how much she loves you.”

Biles added, “You have done so much for her, so I reached out to my friends at the TODAY show to see if we could do something special for you. Hope you like it.” Simone surprised John with a brand new electric wheelchair. Made by Quantum Rehab, the chair was specially fitted to meet the needs of John.

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Suni’s father was taken by surprise and said, “Oh my God. Oh my, that is awesome!” He was happy that people would not have to push him around anymore. Suni’s brother, Lucky, is often the ‘designated driver’ for his father, taking him around whenever they traveled. With the new chair, John could get around on his own, and that made him the happiest.

Suni’s father wasn’t always in a wheelchair

During the Tokyo Olympics, Suni’s family became the center of attention. While Suni was away competing at the Olympics, the Lee family gathered with the Hmong community to watch and cheer her along. People loved the closely-knit bond the family shared but couldn’t help but notice that John was in a wheelchair.

Questions rose about his ailment and whether he was always in a wheelchair. Well, John wasn’t always in a wheelchair, but an unfortunate accident meant he would forever be tied to one. In 2019, just before the National Championships in Kansas, John fell from a ladder that left him paralyzed from the chest down. Suni considered not going to the championships as her father was in surgery. But, being the ever-supportive father he is, John convinced his daughter to go, as she had worked very hard for it.

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Notably, Suni finished second behind Biles in the championships. The two would become teammates at the following Olympics and became close friends.