Sunisa “Suni” Lee won the gold medal in the women’s individual all-around gymnastics final today, as Simone Biles cheered from the stands at the Ariake Gymnastics Centre.
Lee, with a score of 57.433, is now the fifth American woman in a row to win the event.
Despite the high-pressure of the Olympics, her parents remained confident that Lee can handle the intensity, especially since she has persevered through a family tragedy at home.
In 2019, Lee’s father John suffered an accident that left him paralyzed, and he says that put her under a lot of stress.
“Sunisa’s been competing under pressure all the way, I think, ever since I got injured in 2019 up to now, up to the point where she made the Olympics,” her father said.
The 18-year-old gymnast from Saint Paul, Minnesota, said her favorite event to compete in is beam, according to her biography on Team USA’s website. Lee, who earned a silver medal with Team USA during the women’s team finals earlier this week, began gymnastics when she was six years old.
Following the Olympic Games, Lee will attend Auburn University as part of the class of 2025 and will compete for the university’s gymnastics team.
Outside of the gym, the 5-foot gymnast said she enjoys fishing and camping and the Harry Potter books.
In August 2019, Lee expressed that her biggest ambition was to compete in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. Now, Lee is an Olympic medalist, winning both silver and gold this week.
In an Instagram post from Sunday, Lee wrote, “feeling proud and blessed. thank you to everyone who has shown me nothing but their love and support.”