Olympic gymnast Suni Lee’s dad John Lee once built a wooden balance beam for her in the family’s backyard in Minnesota because they couldn’t afford to buy one, according to “The Today Show.”
“That beam was built out of a piece of wood, right,” he said on “The Today Show” after Suni Lee put her gold medal from the Tokyo Olympics around his neck during a live broadcast. “I never thought I would be wearing one of these because of that beam. It’s just incredible. I love that beam now.”
“I wouldn’t be here without you,” Suni told her dad on the show, emphasizing his importance to her gymnastics career, which has culminated in competition at another Olympics, in Paris. According to a press release from USA Gymnastics, Lee and Simone Biles “are set to become the first two Olympic all-around champions to face one another in women’s artistic gymnastics final competition” in Paris.
“Lee was born and raised in St. Paul, Minn. Her passion for gymnastics began at the age of six after watching the sport on TV. Her father built a balance beam in their backyard to nurture her early interest,” her Team USA biography reads.
According to The New York Times, Lee’s dad is named John Lee, and her mom is named Yeev Thoj. Both parents are “Hmong immigrants who escaped Laos after the Vietnam War,” The Times reported.
People reported that John Lee is technically Lee’s stepfather. Thoj gave birth to her in 2003, and she met John Lee when Suni was 2; he already had two kids, Shyenne and Jonah, with another woman, People reported. Thoj and Lee have three kids together, People reported.
According to People Magazine, Suni Lee’s other siblings are named Evionn, Noah, and Lucky.
Suni Lee decided to take John Lee’s last name, ESPN reported. ESPN, which referred to John as Suni’s “dad,” reported in 2021 that her parents have never legally married, but Suni “wanted his last name,” according to her mother. Suni Lee “considers him to be her father,” NBC Olympics reported.
Here’s what you need to know about Lee’s dad:
1. John Lee Initially Wanted Suni Lee to ‘Stay in Minnesota’ & ‘Go to School,’ The Times Reported
GettyJohn Lee (R), Sunisa Lee’s father, and Yeev Thoj react after Sunisa Lee of Team United States competed on the balance beam during the Women’s All-Around Gymnastics Final on day six of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games on July 29, 2021 in Oakdale, Minnesota.
John Lee told The Times that he wanted Suni to “do some work, stay in Minnesota and go to school.” According to The Times, Lee said he is “used to Hmong girls staying with their parents until they are married, not setting out on far-off adventures.”
“In the Hmong community, we’d rather have them stay home with us so we can kind of monitor them,” Thoj told The Times. “But in this generation, it’s different than ours.”
Instead, Suni Lee left for Los Angeles to live alone in that city for several months while competing on “Dancing with the Stars,” according to The Times.
2. Suni Lee’s Dad Said She Shares His ‘Fierce Competitiveness,’ Reports Say
GettySuni Lee in Paris.
Suni Lee’s dad “loved to climb and flip as a child and was a natural athlete who excelled at sports in high school,” ESPN reported, adding that a family video “shows John and Suni throwing synchronized backflips off an oversized lounge chair at a Florida beach when Suni was 8.”
John Lee told ESPN that Suni “shares his fierce competitiveness and drive.”
Suni Lee grew up in the St. Paul suburbs, People reported.
“She trained under Punnarith Koy at Midwest Gymnastics Center and quickly excelled, winning her second competition and clinching the all-around title at a state meet. By age 11, she qualified for elite status and began training with Jess Graba,” her Team USA bio reads.
3. Suni Lee’s Dad Declared on Television That He Was ‘So Proud of Her’
GettyJohn Lee (C), father of Sunisa Lee of Team United States, celebrates after she won gold in the Women’s All-Around Gymnastics Final on day six of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games at a watch party on July 29, 2021, in Oakdale, Minnesota.
In 2021, when Lee appeared with her parents on “The Today Show,” she emphasized how important John Lee had been to her, and he expressed pride in Suni.
“You did it,” her dad told Lee, hugging her.
“She did it. She brought it home. I’m so proud of her, so surprised, so everything. Good job,” John Lee said on “The Today Show.”
Her mom said on the show, “It’s like happy tears you know just thinking all the hard work she has done in the last four years.” She said it hurts her when Suni comes home crying from having a bad day. So seeing her with a gold medal, made her cry “happy tears.”
According to ESPN, John Lee once sold an “old truck” to pay for an iPhone he promised Suni if she won a meet.
4. John Lee Is in a Wheelchair Due to a Fall From a Ladder, Reports Say
GettyJohn Lee (C), father of Sunisa Lee of Team United States, celebrates after she won gold in the Women’s All-Around Gymnastics Final on day six of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games at a watch party on July 29, 2021, in Oakdale, Minnesota.
According to ESPN, John Lee is in a wheelchair.
ESPN reported that a “fall from a ladder in 2019 left him paralyzed from the chest down and unable to attend his daughter’s meets.”
According to ESPN, the father “broke his right wrist and several ribs and injured his spinal cord, paralyzing his body below his chest.”
5. John Lee Is Known for Giving Suni Lee ‘Pep Talks,’ Reports Say
GettySunisa Lee of Team United States.
John Lee’s “pep talks” to Suni are legendary, ESPN reported.
“You’re not doing this for nobody else anymore,” he urged her in one instance, according to ESPN. “Not for your friends, not for the Hmong community. You are doing this for yourself now. OK? Enjoy. That’s your only goal. You got this.”
According to ESPN, they spoke via FaceTime, and Suni revealed how her “dad’s words calm her pre-meet jitters.”
“I try to be confident for her,” John Lee told ESPN. But he admitted to ESPN that he has “nerves” on the inside.
He told ESPN, “When Suni started competing as an elite, I traveled with her almost everywhere. I always talked to her before the competition, and sometimes I’d be hard on her and she’d get mad. When Suni’s mad, she focuses a little better.”
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Suni Lee’s Dad Built a Wooden Balance Beam for Her in Their Minnesota Backyard