Sunisa Lee facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Sunisa Lee
Lee at the 2024 U.S Gymnastics Championships
Personal information
Full name	Sunisa Lee
Nickname(s)	Suni
Born	(2003-03-09) March 9, 2003 (age 22) Saint Paul, Minnesota, U.S.
Training location	Little Canada, Minnesota, U.S.
Height	5 ft 0 in (152 cm)
Discipline	Women's artistic gymnastics
Level	Senior International Elite
Years on national team	2016–2021 2024–present (USA)
Club	Midwest Gymnastics Center
College team	Auburn Tigers (2022–2023)
Head coach(es)	Jess Graba
Assistant coach(es)	Alison Lim
Medal record Event 1st 2nd 3rd Olympic Games 2 1 3 World Championships 1 1 1 NCAA Championships 1 1 0 Women's artistic gymnastics Representing the  United States Olympic Games Gold 2020 Tokyo All-Around Gold 2024 Paris Team Silver 2020 Tokyo Team Bronze 2020 Tokyo Uneven Bars Bronze 2024 Paris All-Around Bronze 2024 Paris Uneven Bars World Championships Gold 2019 Stuttgart Team Silver 2019 Stuttgart Floor Exercise Bronze 2019 Stuttgart Uneven Bars Representing the Auburn Tigers NCAA Championships Gold 2022 Fort Worth Balance Beam Silver 2022 Fort Worth All-Around
Awards	See awards

Sunisa "Suni" Lee (born March 9, 2003) is an American gymnast. She won the gold medal in the all-around competition at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. She also earned a bronze medal on the uneven bars at those Games. In the 2024 Paris Olympics, Suni won a team gold medal, an all-around bronze, and an uneven bars bronze.

Suni was part of the "Golden Girls" team that won gold at the 2024 Olympics. She also helped the U.S. team win gold at the 2019 World Championships and silver at the 2020 Olympics. She is a two-time U.S. national champion on the uneven bars. Suni competed for the Auburn Tigers in college. There, she won a championship on the balance beam.

Suni Lee is the first Hmong-American to compete in the Olympics. She is also the first Hmong woman and first Asian American woman to win an Olympic all-around title. With nine World Championship and Olympic medals, she is one of the most decorated American female gymnasts. In 2021, Sports Illustrated named her Female Athlete of the Year. She was also included in Time magazine's list of the 100 most influential people.

Early Life and Family

Sunisa Lee was born Sunisa Phabsomphou on March 9, 2003, in Saint Paul, Minnesota. Her mother, Yeev Thoj, came to the United States from Laos as a refugee. Suni was raised by her mother's partner, John Lee, and considers him her father. She started using his last name for gymnastics.

Suni became interested in gymnastics at age six. She watched famous gymnasts like Nastia Liukin and Shawn Johnson on YouTube. Her father even built her a balance beam from a mattress! When her parents saw her doing backflips outside, they knew she needed a safer place to train. They enrolled her in classes at Midwest Gymnastics Center in Little Canada, Minnesota.

Suni quickly showed talent. She won the all-around at a state meet in her second competition. By age eight, she moved up three levels in gymnastics. At age 11, she qualified for elite gymnastics. Jess Graba became her coach when she was about 12, and he has coached her ever since.

Gymnastics Career

Junior Career Highlights

2015–2018: Rising Star

In 2015, Suni competed in the Hopes division. She became a junior elite gymnast in 2016. She made her international debut in 2017 at the Gymnix International Junior Cup. The U.S. team won gold, and Suni earned a silver medal on uneven bars. In May 2017, she committed to Auburn University for a gymnastics scholarship.

In April 2018, Suni competed at the 2018 Pacific Rim Gymnastics Championships. She won gold with the U.S. team. She also earned silver medals on vault, balance beam, and floor exercise. She placed fourth in the all-around. Later that year, she won gold on the balance beam at the 2018 U.S. Classic. At the 2018 U.S. Championships, she finished third in the all-around and won gold on the uneven bars.

Senior Career Highlights

2019: World Championships Debut

Suni made her senior international debut at the 2019 City of Jesolo Trophy in Italy. She won the all-around title and helped the U.S. team win gold. She also won gold on uneven bars and floor, and bronze on balance beam.

Despite dealing with injuries, including a hairline fracture in her leg, Suni competed at the 2019 U.S. Championships in August. She finished second in the all-around behind Simone Biles. Suni won gold on uneven bars and bronze on floor. She was then chosen to represent the U.S. at the 2019 World Championships in Stuttgart, Germany. This was her first World Championships.

At the World Championships, Suni helped the U.S. team win gold. She qualified for the all-around, uneven bars, and floor exercise finals. In the uneven bars final, she won a bronze medal. She also won a silver medal in the floor exercise final, finishing behind Simone Biles.

2020-2021: Olympic Journey

The COVID-19 pandemic caused many events to be canceled, including the Stuttgart World Cup. Suni also faced injuries, including a broken bone in her foot and an Achilles tendon injury. In November 2020, she officially committed to Auburn University.

In 2021, Suni returned to competition. At the U.S. Championships, she won silver in the all-around behind Simone Biles. She also won gold on the uneven bars. This performance helped her qualify for the U.S. Olympic Trials.

At the Olympic Trials, Suni placed second overall, securing her spot on the U.S. Olympic team for the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo.

2020 Tokyo Olympic Games

The 2020 Olympic Games were held in July-August 2021 due to the pandemic. Suni competed on all four events during qualifications. The U.S. team advanced to the final in second place. Suni qualified for the individual all-around final, uneven bars final, and balance beam final.

In the team final, Suni stepped in to compete on floor exercise when Simone Biles withdrew. Suni performed well on all her routines, helping the U.S. win the silver medal. In the all-around final, Suni delivered strong performances on all events. She won the gold medal, becoming the Olympic all-around champion! She was the sixth U.S. woman to win this title.

In the uneven bars final, Suni won the bronze medal. In the balance beam final, she placed fifth. After her historic success, July 30, 2021, was declared "Sunisa Lee Day" in Minnesota. Suni then enrolled at Auburn University to compete in college gymnastics.

NCAA Gymnastics Career

2021–2022 Season: College Success

Suni made her college gymnastics debut for Auburn on January 7, 2022. She quickly became a star. On January 28, she made her all-around debut and won the title. On February 5, she scored her first perfect ten on the uneven bars. She was the first Auburn gymnast since 2004 to achieve this.

On February 25, Suni earned her first perfect ten on the balance beam. At the NCAA Championship, she finished first on balance beam and second in the all-around.

2022–2023 Season: Returning to Elite

On November 15, 2022, Suni announced that the 2022–2023 season would be her last for Auburn. She planned to return to elite gymnastics to prepare for the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris. She started her season strong, winning the balance beam title with a perfect 10 and the all-around title at the Super 16 event.

In March 2023, Suni was diagnosed with a rare medical condition. She ended her college season early due to her health issues, concluding her NCAA gymnastics career.

Career Perfect 10.0 Scores

NCAA Regular Season Rankings

Return to Elite Gymnastics

2023: Back to Elite

In August 2023, Suni returned to elite gymnastics at the 2023 U.S. Classic. She qualified for the U.S. Championships. A few weeks later, at the 2023 U.S. Championships, she won a bronze medal on the balance beam. She chose not to attend the World Championships selection camp due to her health.

2024: Paris Olympics Bound

Suni started 2024 competing at the 2024 Winter Cup. She then competed at the American Classic, winning first on balance beam. At the Core Hydration Classic, she competed on floor exercise for the first time since the Tokyo Olympics and again won first on balance beam. At the Xfinity US Gymnastics Championships, she finished fourth all-around and won a silver medal on beam. She was named to the U.S. National Team and invited to the Olympic trials.

At the Olympic trials, Suni placed second in the all-around and first on uneven bars. She was then selected to represent the United States at the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris.

2024 Paris Olympic Games

During the qualification round at the Paris Olympics, Suni competed on all four events. She ranked third overall and qualified for the all-around final. She also qualified for the uneven bars and balance beam finals. In the team final, Suni contributed scores on uneven bars, balance beam, and floor exercise. Her efforts helped the U.S. team win their fourth Olympic team gold medal!

In the all-around final, Suni won a bronze medal. This made her the first reigning Olympic champion since Nadia Comăneci in 1980 to win another medal in the event at the next Olympics. In the uneven bars final, she won another bronze medal. In the balance beam final, she finished in sixth place.

Education

Suni Lee attended Battle Creek Elementary and later South St. Paul Secondary. She received her high school diploma in June 2021. In August 2021, she enrolled at Auburn University to study business marketing. She left after her second year to focus on returning to elite gymnastics and preparing for the 2024 Summer Olympics.

Personal Life

In August 2019, just before Suni's first senior U.S. championships, her father had a serious accident. He fell from a ladder and became paralyzed from the waist down. The following year, Suni's aunt and uncle passed away. Suni has said that these difficult experiences made her stronger.

In March 2023, Suni was diagnosed with a medical condition affecting her kidneys. She sought treatment and took a break from gymnastics to focus on her health. In April 2024, she shared that her kidney condition was improving.

Competitive Skills

Here are some of the special skills Suni Lee has performed in gymnastics competitions:

Competitive History

Year	Event	Team	AA	VT	UB	BB	FX
HOPES
2015	Hopes Championships			6
Junior Elite
2016	U.S. Classic		16	34	22	15	6
	P&G National Championships		10	23	10	20	5
2017	International Gymnix
	U.S. Classic				10	4
	P&G National Championships		8	17	6	11	5
2018	Pacific Rim Championships
	U.S. Classic		5	24			25
	U.S. National Championships			6			5
Senior Elite
2019	City of Jesolo Trophy
	American Classic				5
	U.S. Classic					8
	U.S. National Championships					4
	Worlds Team Selection Camp			6
	Stuttgart World Championships		8
2021	Winter Cup
	American Classic						5
	U.S. Classic				10	8
	U.S. National Championships						5
	Olympic Trials						9
	Olympic Games					5
NCAA
2022	SEC Championships		9	8		42
	NCAA Championship	4		29	9		4
Senior Elite
2023	U.S. Classic
	U.S. National Championships
2024	Winter Cup				26	13
	American Classic			11
	U.S. Classic						17
	U.S. National Championships		4		4		10
	Olympic Trials					5	7
	Olympic Games					6

Awards

Filmography

Images for kids

• 

  Lee at the 2021 US National Championships

• 

  Lee competing on floor at the 2024 Core Hydration Classic

• 

  Lee winning bronze in the all-around at the 2024 Olympics

See Also

In Spanish: Sunisa Lee para niños

• History of the Hmong in Minneapolis–Saint Paul