{"id":605953,"date":"2021-07-29T13:22:31","date_gmt":"2021-07-29T17:22:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=605953"},"modified":"2021-07-29T13:22:34","modified_gmt":"2021-07-29T17:22:34","slug":"american-success-story-who-is-all-around-gold-medal-gymnast-suni-lee","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/american-success-story-who-is-all-around-gold-medal-gymnast-suni-lee\/","title":{"rendered":"American Success Story: Who Is All-Around Gold Medal Gymnast Suni Lee?"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"float:left\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">22<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Famerican-success-story-who-is-all-around-gold-medal-gymnast-suni-lee%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=605953&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><div><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/GettyImages-1331300933.jpg?w=1200&amp;h=800&amp;ixlib=react-9.0.3\" class=\"ff-og-image-inserted\" \/><\/div>\n<p>It\u2019s nice to be reminded why the Olympic Games hold such a special place in our hearts.<\/p>\n<p><span>The Tokyo Olympics have been a bit of a downer in its first week. The lack of fans present at events has made it seem more like a practice than the highest level of competition in the world. NBC has no idea how to market event schedules, and all-world gymnast Simone Biles has pulled out of two Olympic events to focus on, she noted, her \u201cmental health.\u201d&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>It hasn\u2019t made for a particularly enjoyable Olympics thus far.&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>Luckily, we have athletes like Suni Lee to remind us of why we tune in to the Games. With Biles not participating in Thursday\u2019s individual all-around, the gold medal was up for grabs, and America won out once again.&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>Lee became the fifth-straight American woman to take home the gold in the all-around competition, with <\/span><span>Brazilian gymnast Rebeca Andrade grabbing silver and <\/span><span>Angelina Melnikova of the Russian Olympic Committee taking home the bronze.&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>Suni\u2019s victory is a wonderful reminder as to why the Olympics have always meant so much. It\u2019s the stories of perseverance and American excellence that keep us coming back. &nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>Lee is the first Hmong American to make the U.S. Olympic gymnastics team. Her parents emigrated from Laos, and settled in Minneapolis-St. Paul, Minnesota. Lee is well-aware what her celebrity means for the Hmong people, as does her father.&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n<p>\u201cAs I watch her, I\u2019ll be thinking, \u2018If she brings home a couple of medals, hopefully a couple of gold, I mean, that would be so great for the family, the community, and for USA\u2019,\u201d Lee\u2019s father, John Lee, told <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nbcnews.com\/news\/asian-america\/gymnast-suni-lees-dad-couldnt-afford-balance-beam-built-one-rcna1517\">TODAY<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p><span>When Lee was just seven-years-old, her father built a balance beam for his daughter out of a spare mattress. The beam still stands in their yard to this day.&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n<p>\u201cShe goes to the gym and she practices but we don\u2019t have a beam here,\u201d John said. \u201cSo I couldn\u2019t afford a real beam, so I built her one.\u201d<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"500\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">When she was a kid, Suni\u2019s parents couldn\u2019t afford to get her a balance beam for her to practice, so her dad built her one. From a homemade balance beam to an Olympic gold medalist. Amazing<\/p>\n<p>&mdash; Alexandra DeSanctis Marr (@xan_desanctis) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/xan_desanctis\/status\/1420737915882254341?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">July 29, 2021<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p><span>Lee\u2019s talent was quickly noticed by a coach at Midwest Gymnastics \u2014 Jess Graba.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>\u201cIt was super raw and she was just a little kid, but she had some talent,\u201d Graba told <a href=\"https:\/\/www.elle.com\/culture\/a36503849\/suni-lee-olympics-gymnastics-tokyo\/\">ELLE<\/a><\/span><span>. \u201cHer flips were kind of crazy\u2014she had been practicing in her yard \u2014 and she clearly had some ability to go upside down without fear.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>At just 14-years-old, Lee made the U.S. junior national team and took home the gold medal on the uneven bars at the National Championships in 2018. Then the challenges came. And in waves.&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>In 2019, her father fell from a ladder while trimming a tree, paralyzing him from the chest down. In March 2020, the Olympics were postponed, putting Lee\u2019s dreams on hold.&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>\u201cTo have that taken away from us without having any control is very hard,\u201d Lee <a href=\"https:\/\/www.elle.com\/culture\/a36503849\/suni-lee-olympics-gymnastics-tokyo\/\">said<\/a>. \u201cI went through a depressed phase, and it was hard to get out of.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>In June 2020 \u2014 three months after her gym was shutdown due to the pandemic \u2014 Lee returned to the gym, only to break her foot. That same summer, tragedy struck as her aunt and uncle died of COVID less than two weeks apart.&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n<p>\u201cHer abilities as a gymnast, especially her bar routine, are incredible,\u201d Five-time Olympic medalist Nastia Liukin told ELLE. \u201cBut it\u2019s the unparalleled mental strength that she has shown during the most difficult time of her life that make her the person she is.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><span>Lee has persevered through it all, and is now an Olympic gold medalist. She is the ultimate American success story, <\/span><i><span>the <\/span><\/i><span>perfect example as to why we patiently wait every four years to cheer on our athletes.&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"500\" data-dnt=\"true\" readability=\"5.9457013574661\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">She did it.  <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/sunisalee_?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">@sunisalee_<\/a> is the queen of the women\u2019s gymnastics all-around finals and her parents. OMG.  Tears every where.  \ud83e\udd7a <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/Gold?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">#Gold<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/TokyoOlympics?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">#TokyoOlympics<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/hmong?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">#hmong<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/n2xM7VJOPq\">pic.twitter.com\/n2xM7VJOPq<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Gia Vang (@Gia_Vang) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/Gia_Vang\/status\/1420731173714726912?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">July 29, 2021<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><span>\u201cThe Hmong here are very proud to be American,\u201d Sia Lo, a St. Paul attorney and a member of Lee\u2019s extended family <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.npr.org\/sections\/tokyo-olympics-live-updates\/2021\/07\/29\/1022077328\/as-gymnast-sunisa-lee-goes-for-gold-her-hometown-hmong-community-has-her-back\"><span>told<\/span><\/a><span> the Star Tribune. \u201cWe hope all of America is proud of Suni. What she\u2019s achieved showcases what is possible here in the United States.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>We most certainly are proud, Suni.&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n<p><i>Joe Morgan is the Sports Reporter for The Daily Wire. Most recently, Morgan covered the Clippers, Lakers, and the NBA for Sporting News. Send your sports questions to sports@dailywire.com.<\/i><\/p>\n<p><i>The views expressed in this piece are the author\u2019s own and do not necessarily represent those of The Daily Wire.<\/i><\/p>\n<p><i>The Daily Wire is one of America\u2019s fastest-growing conservative media companies and counter-cultural outlets for news, opinion, and entertainment. Get inside access to The Daily Wire by becoming a <\/i><a href=\"https:\/\/www.dailywire.com\/subscribe\"><i>member<\/i><\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>It\u2019s nice to be reminded why the Olympic Games hold such a special place in our hearts.The Tokyo Olympics have been a bit of a downer in its first week. &#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2315279,"comment_status":"close","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-605953","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/605953","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=605953"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/605953\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2315279"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=605953"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=605953"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=605953"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}