Who is Sunisa Lee: The Gymnastics Career of a Rising?Star

Sunisa “Suni” Lee is a rising star in the gymnastics community, quickly making a name for herself in the competitive world of gymnastics. A new generation of gifted athletes appears each year, eager to fly to new heights in the demanding athletic world. Suni, who has emerged as the US Gymnastics team’s top challenger for the 2021 Olympics, is one such fierce gymnast. The vault finals were expected to yield a gold medal by Simone Biles, but she abruptly withdrew. Enter the all-around Lee who steered the wheels in the international events filling the vacant spot. She became the fifth American woman to win the vault event, proving beyond a shadow of a doubt that Americans are among the world’s best athletes.

Then 18-year-old Minnesotan Suni also became the first member of the Hmong-American community to represent the U.S. Team in the Olympics. When the world applauded her momentous achievement, the loudest cheer came from her proud father.

The beginning of Suni Lee?s gymnastics career and her father?s contribution

Suni was born to Yeev Thoj, a healthcare worker, she considers her mother’s long-term companion John Lee as her father and uses his last name in her professional life. The Lee family consists of eight members including six kids. Lee raised Suni from the time she was a little girl and was the first person to encourage her passion for gymnastics by building a balancing beam from plywood that landed her on a lumpy mattress. Her parents saw the need for a professional setting to help her improve her skills when she performed backflips outdoors.

At 11, she earned junior elite status under the tutelage of gymnastics coaches after skipping three levels. She made her national debut as a junior elite in the 2016 U.S. Classic. The next year launched herself internationally at the Gymnix International Junior Cup, taking home a silver medal in uneven bars and a gold in the team event. Suni secured a gymnastics scholarship at Auburn University in 2017 and took the leap.

Lee?s gymnastics career with Auburn University

As a junior in 2018, Lee took home gold medals on uneven bars at the National Championships and on the balance beam at the U.S. Classic. The next two years were crucial points for the teen gymnast who cemented her global image in these years. Just as the sight was set on future prospects she was plagued by injuries while performing BB. Another major setback took place just two days before the 2019 National Championships when she had left for Kansas City. Her father fell off a ladder while pruning a tree which paralyzed him from the chest down. The hardest part for her was preparing for the Championship when her father was in such a condition. Later, Suni became the only first-year senior without prior experience to compete for the United States in the 2019 World Championships in Stuttgart. She faced out against prominent athletes including Biles, Kara Eaker, MyKayla Skinner, Jade Carey, and Grace McCallum. By this point, Sunisa had established herself as a strong contender for the Tokyo Olympics in 2020.

Suni Lee?s gold medal achievement at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics

After the leader Simone Biles withdrew from the competition after her first final, the vault, Lee stepped up and preserved Team USA’s winning gold streak in the all-around competition. Suni and teammates Jordan Chiles and Grace McCallum collectively stepped up to the challenge in various disciplines in the Games. In the all-around final, Lee took home the silver medal after performing one of the toughest bar routines.

John proudly watched her win from his hospital bed and said, “I am proud. The family’s proud. The community is very proud of her.” Suni added a third medal to her collection, winning bronze in the uneven bars category. Earlier Suni felt conflicted about leaving her disabled father, who serves as her main source of motivation. Even her aunt and uncle passed away during COVID-19 making it much harder for her to cope. Her uncle, a Hmong shaman helped her recover from her ankle injury using hot ginger and herbal medicines. Needless to say, the pre-COVID and Covid era was full of testing times for Suni. The gymnast also joined college after securing the all-around title at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games which was postponed for a year due to COVID.

Lee’s end of collegiate career after kidney issue

Lee joined Auburn University in August 2021 and quit pro gymnastics to compete as a NCAA athlete. Since the fall, Lee competed for Auburn’s women’s gymnastics team, the Auburn Tigers. On the uneven bars against LSU, Lee won her first perfect 10 at the collegiate level. She was the first Auburn gymnast to get a perfect 10 since 2004 and only the sixth gymnast overall.? It was a successful experience wrapped up by winning gold in the 2022 NCAA Championships in the balance beam and silver in the all-around.

READ MORE Despite Suffering From Kidney Issue, Suni Lee Returns to Gymnastics Ahead of the Season

However, Lee gave a statement to forgo the remainder of her sophomore year due to a kidney condition on April 3, 2023. Since then, reports about her next competitions as well as her reunion with fellow all-around gymnast, Simone Biles have been rife. The gymnasts gave a glimpse to their fans just days before reuniting as elite athletes on the national mat.? The duo even participated in a social media trend one after another sharing their rigorous training and fun before the grand comeback.

Her comeback with the 2023 U.S. Classic and aim for the Paris Olympics

Sunisa Lee along with Biles were the most anticipated performers at the U.S. Classic after last competing at the 2021 Olympics as elite athletes. The Hoffman Estates hosted the event on August 5, where Sunisa Lee took home the silver medal on the balance beam. She received a score of 14.500 for her performance which qualified her for this year’s U.S. Gymnastics Championships. However, Suni called it a night sooner than anyone expected!

Last year in November, Suni announced on social media that it would be her final season at Auburn, with the plans to shift her focus to reaching the 2024 Paris Olympics. She entered the roster for the upcoming Olympics after making her return to the US Gymnastics team and showing the ability to compete at the highest level.

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