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When Suni Lee won the gold medal in the women’s all-around competition at the Tokyo Olympics, she made history in more ways than one.
Lee not only became the first Asian-American woman gymnast to claim that title, but was also the first Hmong-American Olympian in any sport. The 21-year-old is now returning to the stage at the Paris Olympics after overcoming some major setbacks, looking to repeat while representing her community.
Suni Lee Opened Up About Hmong Heritage
Lee grew up in St. Paul, Minnesota, home to one of the nation’s largest populations of Hmong people. As Nancy Yang of NBC News reported during the Tokyo Olympics, Lee’s gold medal win led to a surge of attention for the Hmong people with trending searches related to Hmong heritage.
Yang noted that the Hmong people are an ethnic group with roots in China, and many Hmong in Laos were recruited to aid U.S. fighting forces during the Vietnam War. After the United States withdrew from Laos, Communist forces retaliated against the Hmong people who had allied with American forces, Yang wrote, and many eventually fled to the United States.
Suni Lee’s father, John Lee, told The Associated Press at the time that his daughter’s win was a victory for the entire Hmong community, a group that often lacked representation.
“I can’t find the words to express how happy we are, how important that was to me and my family and to the whole Hmong community throughout the world,” John Lee said.
Angela Vang of Time magazine wrote in 2021 that even before Lee first qualified for the Tokyo Olympics, she was already a major figure for the Hmong community.
“It’s hard to pinpoint exactly when Suni Lee became a household name within the diaspora,” Vang wrote. “Perhaps it was in 2019 when she finished second at US Nationals right behind [Simone] Biles, or maybe it was later that year when she won her first of three world championship medals. No matter, one thing is clear: her name is a unifying force in her community.”
Suni Lee Cried After Making 2024 Olympic Team
Lee had to overcome a lot in returning to the 2024 Olympics in Paris. She was diagnosed with an incurable kidney disease in 2023 and told Today’s Hoda Kotb that she considered quitting the sport.
“There were so many times where I thought about quitting and just giving up because I was so sick, and it was just so hard to stay motivated, watching everybody get better, and I’m just like I can’t even get back into the gym and constantly doubting myself,” Lee said in the July 1 interview.
But Lee persevered, earning a spot on the team and breaking down in tears after qualifying for the Olympics earlier this month.
“This one feels so different,” Lee said of her return to the Summer Games, via The Athletic. “We didn’t even think I’d be here. Everything has been hitting me like a freaking roller coaster. I haven’t stopped crying since, and I’m so happy because there were many times I thought about quitting and walking away from this sport because I didn’t think I’d ever get to this point. I didn’t want to let myself down, and I’m so grateful I had people around me who kept me motivated and helped me through all the hard times.”
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