If you have been following the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, you’d know that the US women’s gymnastics team gets a lot of coverage due to its history of excellence, having won the past three Olympics in a row.
Of course, everyone has heard about the GOAT, Simone Biles, who has so far qualified for every gymnastic event but many have peaked interest in her teammate Suni Lee as well, who is considered the second best on the team, having qualified for all-around, balance beam, and uneven bar finals. Let’s get to know a bit about her:
1. She is 18 years old. Sunisa “Suni” Lee was born on March 9, 2003, making her zodiac sign a Pisces!
2. Her ethnicity is Hmong. Suni’s parents John Lee and Yeev Thoj were born in Laos and moved the U.S. as refugees following the Vietnam War. Her mom was a health worker and her dad was a veteran.
3. Suni has five siblings! Her sisters are Shyenne and Evionn and her brothers are Jonah, Lucky and Noah. Talk about a big family!
4. She was born in St. Paul, Minnesota.
5. She had a rough 2020. That year, not only was the Olympics postponed and she hurt her ankle, but personally, Suni lost an aunt and uncle due to Covid and her father fell off a ladder while helping a neighbour trim a tree which left his body paralyzed from the chest down.
6. She is Simone Biles’s closest competition in years. At the U.S. Olympic trials, Suni trailed behind Simone Biles as the No. 2 finisher of the U.S. Olympic team, just 2.2 points behind the world record holder.
7. She earned three medals in the 2019 World Championships. Lee earned gold in team competition, silver on floors, and bronze on uneven bars. Lee’s bar routine is one of the hardest in the world!
8. She is attending Auburn University after the Olympics and has already been recruited on their gymnastic team as part of their class of 2025.
9. Sunni’s father got a computer just so he could watch his daughter compete!
10. She got into gymnastics because she was very energetic and her parents thought a balance beam would be the perfect distraction.
11. Her dad first taught her how to flip on her bed. Every great gymnast started off somewhere and Sunni’s journey started off with the help of her family!
12. Lee’s longtime gymnastics hero is Nastia Liukin, a five time Olympic medalist who competed in Beijing in 2008. Nastia said Sunni’s ability on the bars are incredible but it’s her unparalleled mental strength that makes her the person she is!
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Source: Elle
