“It Means So Much”: Olympic Gold Medalist Suni Lee Excited As Olympic Trials Come To Her Hometown

Olympic gold medalist Sunisa Lee is a household name in the gymnastics realm. The Minnesota-born American artistic gymnast began practicing at six, and by seven she earned a makeshift balance beam from her father. The platform soon catapulted her passion for defying gravity and she became a dominant force in the world of gymnastics.

Lee clinched her biggest international victory in the 2020 Olympics, becoming the first Hmong American to win Olympic gold. The victory solidified her name in the vault and beam arena, cementing her roots in the gymnastics world. Yet again, ahead of the trials for the next US gymnastics squad for the 2024 Paris Olympics, fans turned to Lee for another hit in home state.

Life has come a full circle for the Olympic gold medalist

Lee has become a favorite among her fans since her debut in the 2020 Summer Olympics. Ever since the next Olympic trials are announced to commence in Minnesota, fans and the gymnast seem to be equally excited by the joyous occasion. In a recent Instagram post by @teamusa, two pictures were shared to announce the trials being conducted on Suni’s land. First one had a picture of Lee that reads “Suni lee’s athletic road to Paris will go through her hometown twin city”. 

Second picture has a quote from Lee as she says, “Watching the Olympians who came before me was such an inspiration when I was growing up, and it means so much to know that the young athletes in Minnesota will have a chance to be inspired by the best gymnasts in America.” The post was captioned, “The stage is set for Olympic gold medalist @sunisalee to qualify for @paris2024 in her home state of Minnesota.” The excitement just got doubled for the Hmong Americans who get the opportunity to join the gymnastics enthusiast young talent shine in the state.

Ahead of the Olympics trials that are scheduled to be from June 27-30. Lee also commented on the ongoing trill saying, “I am so excited and proud that Minneapolis has been selected to host the Olympic Trials,” according to a press release from USA gymnastics. It is interesting to note that the US Olympic trial selection has a majority of Minnesotan gymnasts in the women’s category. This is not the first time Lee has been an unstoppable force among big names in the gymnastics events. Her major career highlights have included participation and wins with the icons in the field.

Glancing back at Lee’s gymnastics career with fellow athletes

Lee has competed both individually and with the US gymnastics team winning big in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. However, the trail of Minnesotan gymnasts competing with Lee is not new. The two gymnasts, Grace McCallum and Shane Wiskus, accompanied Lee in U.S. World Gymnastics Teams in Germany, prior to being part of the 2020 trials. However, only McCallum qualified along with Lee for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. The two shared a silver medal in the USA Gymnastics team, along with Simone Biles, Jordan Chiles, and MyKayla Skinner. 

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Since her first international appearance at the 2017 Gymnix International Junior Cup to her successful Olympic debut, Lee has sure joined the big names in the gymnastics legacy. She won three medals in the 2020 Olympics, including a gold medal in the individual all-around competition, a silver medal in the team competition, and a bronze medal in the uneven bars event. Despite being marked by hardships, the 20-year-old has made it to the list of Time’s 100 most influential people in 2021. Her victories have only shown the tip of the iceberg for the potential she holds, which is no news to her fans eagerly awaiting her next shining moment.

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