Who is Sunisa Lee? The first Hmong American Olympic gymnast

When Sunisa Lee walks out into the Olympics stadium in
Tokyo, she will not only be representing the United States of America, but all
the Hmong people residing in the USA.

A Hmong person representing the country
at the world’s grandest sporting event will go a long way in mainstreaming a
community that has largely remained in the shadows.

The 18-year-old gymnast from St. Paul Minnesota
carries this immense burden of expectation on her shoulders. Sunisa Lee started
her gymnastics journey on a balance beam her father made for her out of a soft,
lumpy mattress and a piece of plywood when she was barely seven years old.

At the time, little did the seven-year-old child know
that she will represent her country alongside Simone Biles, a gymnastics
legend, at the Olympics.

The Beginnings:

Sunisa Lee was born to immigrant parents who had moved
to the US from Laos. A child prodigy, Lee’s capabilities caught the eye of Jess
Graba, a coach at Midwest Gymnastics. It is under Graba’s tutelage that Lee
made it to the US junior national team in 2016.

The hurdles along the way:

Sunisa Lee was two days away from participating in the
2019 National Championship when her father, John Lee, fell from a ladder while
trimming a tree for a friend. The accident left John Lee paralysed from the
waist below. Lee’s coach Jess Graba thought she should not compete in the
championship.

A distracted athlete is a danger to themself, Graba
said. But Lee’s father was insistent. “She can stay focused when she puts her
mind to it,” John Lee told ELLE Magazine at the time.

Road to Olympics

During the US Olympic trials this week, Lee grabbed
one of the three guaranteed spots to Tokyo. A two-time US champion on the
uneven bars, Lee scored an impressive 15.300 on the first day, which ended up
being a career and meet high at the trials.

At the end, Lee finished with 115.832 points behind
Simone Biles who took the top spot with 118.089.

The pandemic challenge

In March 2020, when the Olympics were postponed due to
the COVID-19 pandemic, the 18-year-old gymnast felt lost. She had put her heart
and soul into preparing for her big moment on the Olympic stage and suddenly
everything was in disarray.

At the time, it was legendary gymnast Simone Biles who
came to her young colleague’s rescue. Simone could relate to Sunisa’s
apprehensions and helped her stay motivated.

Lee’s community

Lee is the first Hmong American Olympic gymnast. The
Hmong are an ethnic group from the mountainous regions of China, Vietnam, Laos
and Thailand. The Hmong have been members of the Unrepresented Nations and
Peoples Organization since 2007. Thousands of Hmong refugees migrated to the US
after the Vietnam War.