Sunisa Lee
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Sunisa "Suni" Phabsomphou Lee (/suːˈniːsə ˈsuːni/ soo-NEE-sə SOO-nee; née Phabsomphou; born March 9, 2003)[1][2] is an American artistic gymnast. She is the 2020 Olympic all-around gold medalist and uneven bars bronze medalist and the 2024 Olympic all-around and uneven bars bronze medalist. She was the 2019 World Championship silver medalist on the floor and bronze medalist on uneven bars. Lee was a part of the "Golden Girls" that won gold at the 2024 Summer Olympics.[3] She was also a member of the teams that won gold at the 2019 World Championships and silver at the 2020 Summer Olympics. She is also a two-time U.S. national champion on the uneven bars. In NCAA Gymnastics, she competed for the Auburn Tigers gymnastics team, winning a SEC title on uneven bars and an NCAA championship on balance beam. She is the third female gymnast to win NCAA, World, and Olympic championship titles, following Kyla Ross and Madison Kocian.[4]

Key Information

Lee is the first Hmong-American Olympian. She is also reported to be the first woman of Hmong descent[5] and first Asian American woman to win the Olympic all-around title.[6] She is a six-time member of the U.S. women's national gymnastics team, and with nine world championship and Olympic medals, she is the seventh-most-decorated American female gymnast.[7]

Lee has received numerous honors and awards. In 2021, she was named Female Athlete of the Year by Sports Illustrated, named Sportswoman of the Year by the Women's Sports Foundation, and included in Time 100, Time's annual list of the 100 most influential people in the world.[8] She also received an Asia Game Changer Award. She has won the Best Comeback Athlete ESPY Award at the 2025 ESPY Awards.[9]

Early life and family

[edit]

Lee was born Sunisa Phabsomphou[2] on March 9, 2003, in Saint Paul, Minnesota, to Yeev Thoj, a healthcare worker.[10][11][12] Lee is of Hmong descent, and her mother, a refugee, immigrated to the United States from Laos as a child.[13][14] Lee was raised by her mother's longtime partner, John Lee, from the age of two and considers him to be her father. She began using his surname professionally as a teenager.[12] Lee has three half-siblings through her mother's relationship with Lee, and Lee had two children from a previous relationship.[10][13] Her sister Evionn also competed in artistic gymnastics at the regional level.[15][16]

Lee's interest in gymnastics was piqued at age six after watching Nastia Liukin and Shawn Johnson on YouTube, and her father built a balance beam for her from a mattress. When Lee started doing backflips outdoors, it became clear to her parents that she needed a safer venue to hone her skills.[17] They registered her for gymnastics classes at Midwest Gymnastics Center in Little Canada, Minnesota,[15] where she started training under coach Punnarith Koy.[18] The following year, Lee won the all-around at a state meet, the second competition of her career.[13] At age eight, she moved up three levels,[13] and she qualified for elite at age 11.[13] Koy coached Lee from age six to about 12, when she switched to Jess Graba, who has coached her ever since.[18][19]

Gymnastics career

[edit]

Junior career

[edit]

2015–2018

[edit]

Lee competed in the Hopes division in 2015, became a junior elite in 2016, and made her junior elite debut at the 2016 U.S. Classic.[note 1] She earned a spot on the junior national team in 2017[13][21] and debuted internationally at the Gymnix International Junior Cup where the U.S. team won the gold medal in the team event. Lee captured the silver on uneven bars.[22] In May 2017, Lee announced her verbal commitment to Auburn University on a gymnastics scholarship.[23]

Lee was named to the team to compete at the 2018 Pacific Rim Gymnastics Championships, which took place in April 2018.[24] She won gold with the U.S. team in the team final. She also secured the silver medal on vault, balance beam, and in the floor exercise. She placed 4th in the all-around.[25] A month later, she withdrew from the Pan American Junior Championships in Buenos Aires, Argentina, after sustaining an ankle injury.[15]

In July 2018, Lee competed at the 2018 U.S. Classic where she finished fifth in the all-around and won the gold medal on balance beam despite not doing a dismount.[26] She was one of the favorites for the national junior title along with Leanne Wong, Jordan Bowers, and Kayla DiCello heading into the 2018 U.S. Championships in Boston. She came third in the all-around behind Wong and DiCello. She won gold on the uneven bars.[27]

Senior career

[edit]

2019

[edit]

Lee made her international senior debut at the 2019 City of Jesolo Trophy in Italy[28] where she won the all-around title and took home the gold with the U.S. team in the team final.[29] In the event finals, she placed first on the uneven bars and on floor, and third on the balance beam behind reigning world champion Liu Tingting of China and teammate Emma Malabuyo.[30]

Lee won the silver on beam at the 2019 American Classic in June and finished fifth on bars after falling off twice.[31] After the conclusion of the event, Lee was among the eight athletes under consideration for the team to be fielded at the 2019 Pan American Games, but would have to compete at the 2019 U.S. Classic to secure her place.[32] In the end, Lee was not named to the team after placing second on bars and tying for eighth on beam at U.S. Classic.[33]

It was a year plagued by injuries. Lee injured her ankle[34] and sustained a hairline fracture to her left tibia after a dismount from the balance beam.[35] She was still recovering from her injuries by the time the 2019 U.S. Championships rolled around in August.[36] Still, Lee competed on all four events, and after the first day of competition, she was in second place in the all-around behind Simone Biles and in first place on uneven bars.[37] On the second day of competition, she continued to perform clean routines and finished second in the all-around behind Biles. She won gold on bars ahead of Morgan Hurd and placed fourth on beam behind Biles, Kara Eaker, and Leanne Wong. She also won the bronze on floor behind Biles and Jade Carey. As a result, she was named to the national team.[38] A month later at the world team selection camp, Lee finished second by 0.350 points in the all-around behind Biles. The next day, Lee was chosen to represent the U.S. at the 2019 World Championships in Stuttgart alongside Biles, Kara Eaker, MyKayla Skinner, Jade Carey, and Grace McCallum.[39] Lee was the only first-year senior named to the team and the only team member without prior World Championships experience.[40]

Lee competed in her first world championships in October 2019.[40] The U.S. took first at team qualifications with a score of 174.205, more than five points ahead of China in second with 169.161. Lee advanced to the individual all-around final in second place after Biles despite a fall on the balance beam. She also qualified second behind Biles to the floor exercise final, beating out teammate Carey in a tiebreaker, and to the uneven bars final in third place behind reigning World Champion Nina Derwael of Belgium and 2015 World Champion Daria Spiridonova of Russia.[41] Lee competed on uneven bars, balance beam, and floor and helped the U.S. to gold in the team final ahead of Russia and Italy. She had another fall on the beam, but her scores on bars (14.733) and floor exercise (14.233) were the third highest of the day on the two events.[42] She finished in eighth place in the all-around final after an uncharacteristic mistake on the uneven bars.[43] Two days later, in the uneven bars final, Lee performed a clean routine and posted a score of 14.800. She won the bronze medal behind Derwael and Becky Downie.[44] She also won the silver in the floor exercise final behind Biles.[45]

2020

[edit]

In late January, it was announced that Lee would compete at the Stuttgart World Cup scheduled to take place in March,[46] but the event was canceled as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.[47] Lee's gym closed temporarily for three weeks as part of the pandemic response and when she returned, she broke a bone in her left foot which left her out of action for two months.[48] An injury to her Achilles tendon sidelined her for another two months.[49] In November, Lee committed to Auburn University and signed her National Letter of Intent.[50]

2021

[edit]
Lee at the 2021 US National Championships

Lee returned to competition in February at the 2021 Winter Cup, where she competed on uneven bars and balance beam. She placed first on bars and third on beam behind Skye Blakely and Jordan Chiles, despite doing a relatively low-scoring dismount.[51] She went on to compete at the 2021 American Classic in April. She placed first on bars and beam with scores of 15.200 and 14.550, and finished fifth on floor even though she opted to simplify two tumbling passes.[52] A month later, in May, Lee competed at the 2021 U.S. Classic on the uneven bars and balance beam. She fell off both apparatus and placed tenth and eighth respectively.[53]

The 2021 U.S. Championships took place in early June. Lee executed a bars routine with a 6.8 difficulty value, scoring 15.300. She went on to win the silver in the all-around behind Simone Biles. She placed first on the uneven bars, second on the balance beam, and qualified for the upcoming U.S. Olympic Gymnastics Trials.[54][55] A few weeks later, Lee competed on all four events at the two-day Olympic Trials. She achieved an uneven bars score of 15.300 on day one and found herself in second place in the all-around behind Biles. On day two, she earned a combined score of 58.166 and beat Biles' 57.533. This was only the third time in Biles' senior career and the first time since 2013 that another gymnast had posted a higher all-around score.[56] However, Lee's combined score over the two days was less than Biles' and she finished second overall, securing her spot on the 2020 U.S. Olympic team alongside Biles. Also named to the team were Jordan Chiles and Grace McCallum.[57]

2020 Olympic Games
[edit]

The COVID-19 pandemic delayed the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo from the summer of 2020 to July 23-August 8, 2021.[58] Lee competed on all four events during qualifications; the U.S. advanced to the team final in second place behind the Russian Olympic Committee. Lee finished third overall behind Simone Biles and Rebeca Andrade and qualified for the individual all-around final. She progressed to the uneven bars final in second place behind Nina Derwael and the balance beam final in third behind Guan Chenchen and Tang Xijing.[59]

Lee was initially to compete only on uneven bars and balance beam in the team final, but when Biles withdrew from the competition after the first rotation, Lee replaced her on floor exercise. She hit all three of her routines and scored 15.400 on bars and 14.133 on beam.[60] The U.S. won the silver medal behind The Russian Olympic Committee.[61] In the all-around final, Lee posted a score of 14.600 on the vault, 15.300 on the uneven bars, 13.833 on beam and 13.700 on floor, leading all competitors with a 57.433 total overall. She won the women's individual all-around gold ahead of Brazil's Rebeca Andrade and Angelina Melnikova of the Russian Olympic Committee.[62] Lee is the sixth U.S. woman to claim the Olympic all-around title following Mary Lou Retton, Carly Patterson, Nastia Liukin, Gabby Douglas, and Simone Biles.[63] She is also the first Hmong-American Olympian,[64] the first Asian American woman to take the Olympic all-around crown,[6] and was reported to be the first all-around Asian champion of any nationality.[5] Lee was the first competitor in the starting order in the uneven bars final and uncharacteristically failed to connect several elements. She scored 14.500 and captured the bronze.[65] She received a score of 13.866 in the balance beam final and placed fifth after a large balance check on one of her elements.[66]

In recognition of her historic Olympic success, the governor of Minnesota, Tim Walz, and the mayor of St. Paul, Melvin Carter, declared Friday, July 30, 2021, as "Sunisa Lee Day".[67] Lee registered for classes at Auburn University in August 2021 and left elite gymnastics to compete in the NCAA.[68]

NCAA

[edit]

2021–2022 season

[edit]

Lee made her NCAA debut on January 7, 2022, in a tri-meet against North Carolina and Bowling Green. She competed on uneven bars and balance beam to help Auburn secure the win.[69] A week later, Lee debuted her floor exercise routine in a meet against Arkansas. She made her all-around debut for Auburn on January 28 in a matchup with Alabama. Auburn won the meet with Lee winning the all-around title outright with a total score of 39.700. She shared the individual bars and beam titles.[70] As a result, Lee was named SEC freshman of the week for the first time.[71] On February 5, Lee earned her first collegiate perfect ten on the uneven bars in a meet against LSU. She was only the sixth Auburn gymnast to score a perfect ten and the first since 2004. Lee also won the all-around with a score of 39.825.[72] On February 25, in a meet against Kentucky, Lee earned her first perfect ten on the balance beam and became the first collegiate gymnast to perform a Nabieva on the uneven bars.[73] At the NCAA Championship, Lee finished first on balance beam and second in the all-around behind Trinity Thomas.[74]

2022–2023 season

[edit]

On November 15, 2022, Lee announced that the 2022–2023 season would be her final season competing for Auburn University so that she could return to elite gymnastics with the goal of competing at the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris.[75][76] Lee's first meet of the season was at the inaugural Super 16 event in Las Vegas where she won the balance beam title with a perfect 10 and the all-around title with a cumulative score of 39.75.[77]

In March 2023 Lee was diagnosed with an unspecified rare kidney disease.[78] On April 3 Lee announced that she would end her sophomore season early due to her health issues, thus concluding her NCAA gymnastics career.[79]

Career perfect 10.0[80]

[edit]
Season Date Event Meet
2022 February 5, 2022 Uneven Bars Auburn @ LSU
February 25, 2022 Balance Beam Auburn vs Kentucky
March 4, 2022 Auburn vs Florida
March 19, 2022 Uneven Bars SEC Championships
April 2, 2022 Balance Beam Auburn Regional Final
2023 January 7, 2023 Super 16 Invitational
February 3, 2023 Uneven Bars Auburn @ Alabama
Balance Beam
February 10, 2023 Uneven Bars Auburn vs LSU

NCAA Regular season ranking[81]

[edit]
Season All-Around Vault Uneven Bars Balance Beam Floor Exercise
2022 2nd 34th 1st 1st 9th
2023 9th 30th 1st 30th 127th

Return to elite gymnastics

[edit]

2023

[edit]

In early August 2023, she made her comeback to elite gymnastics at the 2023 U.S. Classic, where she qualified for the U.S. Championships by scoring 14.500 on the balance beam and 13.500 on the vault.[82] A few weeks later, Lee competed on the vault and balance beam at the 2023 U.S. Championships in San Jose and won the bronze on the beam.[83]

Lee was invited to attend the team selection camp for the World Championships and Pan American Games but chose not to participate, citing her kidney-related health issues.[84]

2024

[edit]
Lee competing on floor at the 2024 Core Hydration Classic

Lee began the 2024 season competing at the 2024 Winter Cup where she had rough performances on the uneven bars and balance beam. She next competed at the American Classic where she placed first on balance beam. At the Core Hydration Classic, Lee competed on floor exercise for the first time since the Tokyo Olympic Games, and placed first on balance beam.[85] At the Xfinity US Gymnastics Championships, she competed with downgraded routines and a fall on vault, but finished fourth all-around and won a silver medal on beam.[86] She was named to the U.S. National Team and invited to compete at the Olympic trials.

At the Olympic trials, Lee placed second in the all-around, first on uneven bars, fifth on balance beam, and seventh on floor exercise. As a result she was selected to represent the United States at the 2024 Summer Olympics alongside Simone Biles, Jade Carey, Jordan Chiles, and Hezly Rivera.[87][88]

2024 Olympic Games
[edit]
Lee winning bronze in the all-around at the 2024 Olympics

During the qualification round at the Olympics, Lee competed on all four apparatuses. She ended the day ranked third overall and qualified for the all-around final. She also qualified for the uneven bars and balance beam finals. During the team final, Lee contributed scores on uneven bars, balance beam, and floor exercise towards the team's first-place finish, earning the U.S. national team their fourth overall Olympic team gold medal.[89][90] In the all-around final, Lee won a bronze medal,[91] becoming the first reigning Olympic champion since Nadia Comăneci in 1980 to medal in the event at the following Olympic Games. In the uneven bars final, she finished with a score of 14.800 to win the bronze medal. In the balance beam final, she fell off the beam, scoring a 13.100 and finishing in sixth place.

[edit]

Sponsorship deals

[edit]

In 2021, Lee hired Smith & Saint as her agent.[92] In 2022, Axios called her one of the most marketable NCAA athletes.[93][94]

Lee has been hired as an endorser for Marriott, L'Oreal,[95] Invisalign,[94] Amazon, Gatorade, Target, Tatcha and CLIF Bar;[96] by American apparel and lifestyle brand Free People in October 2021,[97] and by American footwear company Crocs in March 2023,[98] She appeared in an ad for Sony's Final Fantasy 16 in June 2023.[99] She was hired in 2023 by The LEGO Group, which featured her in its "Play Unstoppable" campaign alongside soccer star Megan Rapinoe, journalist and author Elaine Welteroth, and other inspiring women.[100]

In May 2024, Lee promoted products from dry shampoo company Batiste Hair on her social media.[101] She was hired as the face of the "Americana" collaboration between LoveShackFancy and Cotton Incorporated,[102] by fashion nail company KISS,[103] and by Kim Kardashian's SKIMS for their Team USA limited edition collection in June 2024 ahead of the 2024 Paris Olympics.[104] Lee was hired by American-Canadian athletic apparel retailer Lululemon in October 2024,[105] In November 2024, Sports Illustrated announced she would appear in the 2025 Sports Illustrated Swimsuit edition;[106] which the magazine said was part of its effort to celebrate powerful female athletes who challenge stereotypes and inspire young girls. Lee was hired by sportswear company HOKA in January 2025.[107] In June 2025, Lee was tapped to front the launch of Luxury Japanese Skincare brand Tatcha's Dewy Milk Moisturizer.[108]

Fashion

[edit]

Lee designed a signature collection of leotards for GK Elite in 2021.[109] In January 2022, Lee launched her first capsule collection with British fashion retailer PrettyLittleThing. She said, "I love fashion so much and when I'm not in my leotard, I love putting looks together. Being an athlete, I live in athleisure, so I wanted to design clothes that were a bit more fashion-forward".[110]

In October 2025, Lee and WNBA All-Star Angel Reese walked in the 2025 edition of the Victoria's Secret Fashion Show, the first major athletes to model at the brand's signature event.[111]

Television and media appearances

[edit]
Lee talks to reporters in April 2024 ahead of the 2024 Summer Olympics.

Lee was featured in the six-episode YouTube Originals documentary series Defying Gravity: The Untold Story of Women's Gymnastics. Premiered on September 21, 2020, the series uses archive footage and interviews with former and current champions and up-and-coming gymnasts to take viewers inside the world of women's elite gymnasts.[112] In June 2021, Lee starred in the Peacock docuseries Golden: The Journey of USA's Elite Gymnasts, which followed top U.S. gymnasts as they compete for a spot on Team USA ahead of the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo.[113]

Dancing with the Stars

[edit]

A few months after the 2020 Olympics, Lee competed on season 30 of Dancing with the Stars.[114] She was the seventh Olympic gymnast to be a contestant on the show, following Shawn Johnson, Nastia Liukin, Aly Raisman, Laurie Hernandez, Simone Biles, and Mary Lou Retton.[115] In the premiere episode, Sasha Farber was revealed as her partner. Farber had previously danced with Biles and Retton.[116] Lee was eliminated in week 9 and finished in 5th place.[117]

Week # Dance / song Judges' score Result
Inaba Goodman Hough Tonioli
1 Jive / "Stay"[118] 7 7 7 7 No Elimination
2 Cha-cha-cha / "I Like It"[118] 7 7 7 7 Safe
3 Foxtrot / "I'm a Slave 4 U"[118] 7 7 7 7 Safe
4 Salsa / "Colombia, Mi Encanto"[118] 8 8 9 8 Safe
Viennese waltz / "I Put a Spell on You"[118] 9 8 9 9
5 Charleston / "Born to Hand Jive"[118] 9 9 9 9 Safe
6 Tango / "Bad Habits"[118] 9 9 9 9 Bottom two
7 Paso doble / "We Will Rock You"[119] 8 8 8 9 Safe
Viennese waltz relay / "We Are the Champions"[120] +1 – – –
8 Samba / "All for You"[121] 10 10 10 10 Safe
Salsa / "Made for Now (Latin version)"[122] Awarded 2 points
9 Foxtrot / "Haven't Met You Yet"[123] 10 9 9 9 Eliminated
Contemporary / "Gravity"[123] 10 9 10 9

Education

[edit]

Lee went to Battle Creek Elementary in Saint Paul, Minnesota.[124] She later attended South St. Paul Secondary and received her high school diploma in June 2021.[17] She enrolled at Auburn University in August 2021[68] as a business marketing major,[125] but left after her sophomore year due to health issues and in order to return to elite gymnastics with her sights set on the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris.[126][127]

Personal life

[edit]

In August 2019, a few days before Lee competed in her first senior U.S. championships, her father suffered a spinal cord injury after falling off a ladder. He was paralyzed from the waist down.[128] The following year, Lee's aunt and uncle died from COVID-19. When discussing these tragedies, Lee said, "I am tougher because of it."[15]

Lee said she was pepper-sprayed in a racial incident in November 2021 while in Los Angeles for her stint on Dancing with the Stars.[129] In January 2022, she spoke about racist comments she had received from her own Hmong-American community about her relationship with then-boyfriend USC Trojans football player Jaylin Smith.[130][131]

In March 2023, Lee was diagnosed with two kidney diseases, one of which is incurable, that she chooses not to disclose to the public.[78] She sought medical treatment when her entire body swelled[132] and was reportedly nauseous and lightheaded frequently. After seeing various doctors she went to the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota.[133] There Lee was diagnosed and started treatment. During this time she took a six-month hiatus from gymnastics. In April 2024, Lee reported that her kidney condition was in remission.[134] At the 2025 ESPY Awards, where Lee won the Best Comeback Athlete ESPY Award, she brought her doctor, Dr. Marcia Faustin, as her guest.[135]

Competitive skills

[edit]

Among the skills Lee has performed in competition are:[136]

Apparatus Name Description Difficulty[a] Performed
Vault Baitova Yurchenko entry, laid out salto backwards with two twists 5.0 2019–21, 2024
Uneven bars Piked Jaeger Reverse grip swing to piked salto forwards to catch high bar E 2019–21
Gienger Swing fwd and salto bwd with 1⁄2 turn piked to hang on HB D 2021, 2024
Bhardwaj Laid out salto from high bar to low bar with full twist E 2019–21, 2024
Van Leeuwen Toe-on Shaposhnikova transition with 1⁄2 twist to high bar E 2019–21, 2024
Nabieva Toe-on to counter reversed laid out hecht over high bar G 2019–21, 2024
Balance beam Layout step-out mount Round-off at end of beam salto bwd stretched with step-out to cross on beam E 2024
Layout Laid out salto backwards with legs together (to two feet) E 2019
Mitchell 1080° (3/1) turn in tuck stand on one leg E 2019–21, 2023–24
Switch ring Switch leap to ring position (180° split with raised back leg) E 2019–21, 2023–24
Floor exercise Mitchell 1080° (3/1) turn in tuck stand on one leg E 2019–21, 2024
Double layout Double laid out salto backwards F 2019–21, 2024
Silivas Double-twisting (2/1) double tucked salto backwards H 2019–21
Chusovitina Full-twisting (1/1) double layout salto backwards H 2024
  1. ^ Valid for the 2022–2024 Code of Points

Competitive history

[edit]
Competitive history of Sunisa Lee at the junior level
Year Event Team AA VT UB BB FX
2015 Hopes Championships 1st place, gold medalist(s) 6 2nd place, silver medalist(s) 2nd place, silver medalist(s)
2016 U.S. Classic 16 34 22 15 6
P&G National Championships 10 23 10 20 5
2017 International Gymnix 1st place, gold medalist(s) 2nd place, silver medalist(s)
U.S. Classic 10 4
P&G National Championships 8 17 6 11 5
2018 Pacific Rim Championships 1st place, gold medalist(s) 2nd place, silver medalist(s) 2nd place, silver medalist(s) 2nd place, silver medalist(s)
U.S. Classic 5 24 3rd place, bronze medalist(s) 1st place, gold medalist(s) 25
U.S. National Championships 3rd place, bronze medalist(s) 6 1st place, gold medalist(s) 2nd place, silver medalist(s) 5
Competitive history of Sunisa Lee at the senior level
Year Event Team AA VT UB BB FX
2019 City of Jesolo Trophy 1st place, gold medalist(s) 1st place, gold medalist(s) 1st place, gold medalist(s) 3rd place, bronze medalist(s) 1st place, gold medalist(s)
American Classic 5 2nd place, silver medalist(s)
U.S. Classic 2nd place, silver medalist(s) 8
U.S. National Championships 2nd place, silver medalist(s) 1st place, gold medalist(s) 4 3rd place, bronze medalist(s)
Worlds Team Selection Camp 2nd place, silver medalist(s) 6 1st place, gold medalist(s) 2nd place, silver medalist(s) 2nd place, silver medalist(s)
Stuttgart World Championships 1st place, gold medalist(s) 8 3rd place, bronze medalist(s) 2nd place, silver medalist(s)
2021 Winter Cup 1st place, gold medalist(s) 3rd place, bronze medalist(s)
American Classic 1st place, gold medalist(s) 1st place, gold medalist(s) 5
U.S. Classic 10 8
U.S. National Championships 2nd place, silver medalist(s) 1st place, gold medalist(s) 2nd place, silver medalist(s) 5
Olympic Trials 2nd place, silver medalist(s) 1st place, gold medalist(s) 1st place, gold medalist(s) 9
Olympic Games 2nd place, silver medalist(s) 1st place, gold medalist(s) 3rd place, bronze medalist(s) 5
2023 U.S. Classic 2nd place, silver medalist(s)
U.S. National Championships 3rd place, bronze medalist(s)
2024 Winter Cup 26 13
American Classic 11 1st place, gold medalist(s)
U.S. Classic 1st place, gold medalist(s) 17
U.S. National Championships 4 4 2nd place, silver medalist(s) 10
Olympic Trials 2nd place, silver medalist(s) 1st place, gold medalist(s) 5 7
Olympic Games 1st place, gold medalist(s) 3rd place, bronze medalist(s) 3rd place, bronze medalist(s) 6
Competitive history of Sunisa Lee at the NCAA level
Year Event Team AA VT UB BB FX
2022 SEC Championships 3rd place, bronze medalist(s) 9 8 1st place, gold medalist(s) 42 2nd place, silver medalist(s)
NCAA Championships 4 2nd place, silver medalist(s) 29 9 1st place, gold medalist(s) 4

Awards

[edit]
Year Award Result Ref
2021 Asia Game Changer Award Won [137]
Sports Illustrated Female Athlete of the Year Won [138]
2022 SEC Freshman of the Year (gymnastics) Won [139]
Honda Sports Award (gymnastics) Nominated [140]
ESPY: Best Female Athlete Nominated [141]
ESPY: Best U.S. Female Olympian Nominated [141]
Women's Sports Foundation: Sportswoman of the Year Won [142]
2025 ESPY: Best Comeback Athlete Won [143]

Filmography

[edit]
Year Title Role Notes
2020 Defying Gravity: The Untold Story of Women's Gymnastics Herself YouTube docuseries
2021 Golden: The Journey of USA's Elite Gymnasts Peacock docuseries
Dancing with the Stars Contestant on Season 30
2025 Speed Goes Pro Guest appearance in IShowSpeed YouTube series

See also

[edit]

Notes and references

[edit]
[edit]
Revisions and contributorsEdit on WikipediaRead on Wikipedia

Sunisa Lee

View on Grokipedia
from Grokipedia
Sunisa Lee (born March 9, 2003) is an American artistic gymnast of Hmong descent who trains at Midwest Gymnastics Center in Minnesota.[1][2]
She rose to prominence as a member of the U.S. Olympic team at the 2020 Tokyo Games (held in 2021), where she won the individual all-around gold medal—becoming the first gymnast of Hmong heritage and the first of Asian descent to claim that title—along with a team silver medal and an individual bronze on uneven bars.[3][4][5]
Returning for the 2024 Paris Olympics despite overcoming serious health setbacks including kidney disease, Lee contributed to the U.S. team's gold medal in the team competition and earned individual bronze medals in both the all-around and uneven bars events, bringing her total Olympic medal count to six (two golds, one silver, three bronzes).[6][7][4]
In addition to her international success, Lee has competed in NCAA gymnastics for Auburn University, showcasing her versatility and resilience in elite-level competition.[8]

Early life

Family background and heritage

Sunisa Lee is an American of Hmong ethnicity, tracing her heritage to the Hmong people, an ethnic group indigenous to the mountainous regions of Laos, Vietnam, Thailand, and China. The Hmong in Laos allied with U.S. forces during the Vietnam War as part of CIA-backed operations against communist North Vietnamese and Pathet Lao forces; following the 1975 communist victory, many faced reprisals, leading to mass refugee flights. Lee's parents, both Hmong, were among the thousands who escaped Laos via perilous routes to Thailand refugee camps before resettling in the United States, where an estimated 260,000 Hmong now live, with significant concentrations in Minnesota.[9][10][11] Lee's mother, Yeev Thoj (pronounced "Yeng"), emigrated from Laos to the U.S. as a child around 1987 and later gave birth to Lee on March 9, 2003, in St. Paul, Minnesota. Her father, John Lee (also known as Houa John Lee), similarly immigrated from Laos as part of the Hmong diaspora. Thoj and Lee formed a blended family when Thoj met Lee shortly after Lee's birth; Lee brought two children from a prior relationship, and together they had three more, resulting in Lee having five siblings: sisters Shyenne (born 12 days before her), Evionn, and others including Noah, Lucky, and Jonah, some of whom are half-siblings through shared parents. This large family structure reflects common Hmong kinship patterns, though Lee's parents diverged from traditional expectations by encouraging her individual pursuits like gymnastics over conventional roles often emphasized in Hmong communities.[12][13][14] In December 2019, John Lee suffered a severe accident while trimming a tree branch from a ladder, falling approximately 20 feet and sustaining spinal cord damage that left him paralyzed from the chest down. Despite this, he remained a vocal supporter of Lee's athletic career, attending events when possible and providing emotional encouragement. The family's resilience amid such challenges underscores the immigrant Hmong experience of overcoming adversity, with Lee's achievements often framed by community members as emblematic of generational progress from refugee origins.[15][16][17]

Introduction to gymnastics and early training

Sunisa Lee developed an early interest in gymnastics through informal home practice, including watching instructional videos on YouTube and using a balance beam constructed by her father to facilitate training in their St. Paul, Minnesota, residence.[18][19] At the age of six in 2009, she commenced formal gymnastics instruction at the Midwest Gymnastics Center in Little Canada, Minnesota, initially under coach Punnarith Koy.[20] By age 12 in 2015, Lee transitioned to primary coaching under Jess Graba at the same facility, who identified her exceptional talent and potential for elite-level competition early in her development.[21] Graba's regimen emphasized technical precision and competitive preparation, enabling Lee to progress rapidly through developmental levels, including participation in state and regional meets that built foundational skills in apparatus events like uneven bars and balance beam, where her strengths emerged.[3] Her early training routine involved approximately 20 hours per week, balancing school commitments with intensive drills focused on strength, flexibility, and routine execution, which laid the groundwork for her later junior elite status.[20] This period marked Lee's shift from recreational participant to dedicated athlete, driven by consistent coaching and family support rather than external pressures.[22]

Gymnastics career

Junior career (2015–2018)

Lee began competing at the elite level in the Hopes division in 2015, where she earned gold on floor exercise, silver on uneven bars and balance beam, and placed sixth on vault at the Hopes Championships, totaling 54.550 in the all-around.[23] She transitioned to junior elite status in 2016, making her debut at the American Classic in May, followed by the U.S. Classic in June, where she posted scores of 13.400 on vault and 13.050 on uneven bars.[24] At the P&G Championships (U.S. National Championships) that year, she finished tenth in the junior all-around.[1] In 2017, Lee placed fourth on balance beam at the U.S. Classic.[1] She contributed to a U.S. team gold at the Gymnix International Junior Cup in Montreal.[4] At the P&G Championships, she ranked eighth in the all-around, sixth on uneven bars, and fifth on floor exercise.[1] Lee's 2018 season marked her strongest junior performances. At the Pacific Rim Championships in Medellín, Colombia, she helped secure U.S. team gold while earning individual silver medals on vault, balance beam, and floor exercise, and placing fourth in the all-around.[1] She followed with first place on balance beam, a tie for third on uneven bars, and fifth in the all-around at the U.S. Classic.[1] At the U.S. Championships, Lee scored 111.050 to finish third in the junior all-around, winning gold on uneven bars (29.550 total) with a day-two score of 14.750, tying for second on balance beam (27.900 total), and placing fourth on floor (25.850 total) and fifth on vault (27.750 total).[25][26]

Senior debut and pre-Olympic years (2019–2020)

Lee made her senior international debut at the 2019 City of Jesolo Trophy in Italy on March 2, where she won the all-around title with a score of 56.466 and contributed to the U.S. team's gold medal performance.[4][27] She also earned gold on floor exercise (14.200) and placed second on balance beam.[28] In July 2019, at the GK U.S. Classic in Louisville, Kentucky, Lee finished second on uneven bars (14.900) and tied for eighth on balance beam (13.900).[1] At the U.S. Gymnastics Championships in Kansas City, Missouri, in August, she secured second place in the all-around (57.032), first on uneven bars (15.200), third on floor exercise (14.000), and fourth on balance beam (13.750); the event occurred days after her father suffered a paralyzing spinal cord injury from a ladder fall.[1] Lee competed at the 2019 World Artistic Gymnastics Championships in Stuttgart, Germany, in October, helping the U.S. team win gold with a qualification score contribution including 14.566 on vault, 15.000 on uneven bars, 13.833 on balance beam, and 13.666 on floor.[29] Individually, she placed eighth in the all-around final (55.632) and third in the uneven bars event final (14.800).[29][30] In 2020, Lee faced setbacks from a broken bone in her left foot and an Achilles tendon injury, each sidelining her for two months and limiting training and competition opportunities amid the COVID-19 pandemic's disruptions to the elite calendar.[20] She focused on recovery and preparation for the postponed Tokyo Olympics, with no major elite international or national meets held that year.[31]

Tokyo Olympics and immediate aftermath (2021)

The United States women's artistic gymnastics team secured the gold medal in the team all-around final on July 27, 2021, at the Tokyo Olympics, with Sunisa Lee contributing scores of 14.133 on vault, 14.366 on uneven bars, 13.666 on balance beam, and 13.666 on floor exercise, totaling 55.199 for her routines.[3] The U.S. team finished with a combined score of 176.383, ahead of the Russian Olympic Committee's silver (176.199) and Japan's bronze (174.210). Lee's performances helped stabilize the team after Simone Biles withdrew mid-competition due to mental health concerns, marking the first non-gold for the U.S. women since 2016 if not for the substitutions. In the individual all-around final on July 29, 2021, Lee won the gold medal with a total score of 57.433, becoming the first Hmong American to achieve Olympic gold and extending the U.S. streak of all-around champions to six consecutive Games.[32] [33] She scored 14.399 on vault, 15.300 on uneven bars (her strongest apparatus), 13.333 on balance beam, and 14.401 on floor, overcoming a beam wobble to edge out Brazil's Rebeca Andrade (57.298) and Russia's Angelina Melnikova (57.199).[34] Lee's victory followed Biles' withdrawal from the event, highlighting her preparation and resilience amid the unexpected opportunity.[35] Lee earned a bronze medal in the uneven bars event final on August 1, 2021, scoring 14.433 despite two deductions for form breaks, finishing behind China's Guan Chenchen (gold) and Nina Derwael of Belgium (silver).[36] This marked her second individual medal from the Games, showcasing her signature strength on bars where she had petitioned for an eponymous element earlier in her career.[4] Following the Olympics, Lee returned to the United States on August 9, 2021, receiving a hero's welcome in her hometown of St. Paul, Minnesota, where thousands gathered for a parade honoring her achievements as a trailblazer for the Hmong community.[37] Her Olympic success elevated her endorsement potential to an estimated $1 million, including deals with brands leveraging her personal story of overcoming family hardships and injuries.[38] In September 2021, Lee enrolled at Auburn University to compete in NCAA gymnastics, transitioning from elite to collegiate competition while maintaining her amateur status.[39] She expressed focus on mental recovery post-Games, crediting the experience for building her confidence despite the pressures of sudden fame.[37]

NCAA competition (2021–2023)

Following her gold medal in the all-around at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, Lee enrolled at Auburn University and joined the Auburn Tigers gymnastics team for the 2021–22 season.[8] Her NCAA debut occurred in January 2022, where she quickly established herself as a top competitor, debuting high-difficulty elements like the Nabieva on uneven bars during a February 25 meet against Kentucky, scoring 9.975.[40] Throughout the season, she earned eight All-America honors, the most in Auburn program history, and secured multiple perfect 10.0 scores, including on balance beam against Kentucky.[8] At the Southeastern Conference (SEC) Championships on March 19, 2022, Lee won the uneven bars title with a score of 9.975, helping Auburn finish third overall.[41] Advancing to the NCAA Championships, she placed second in the all-around semifinals on April 14 with 39.675 and won the balance beam national championship in the finals on April 15–16 with 9.9625, contributing to Auburn's fourth-place team finish, the program's best ever.[8] She earned four additional All-America honors at nationals.[8] In the 2022–23 season, Lee opened with a perfect 10.0 on balance beam at the Super 16 invitational on January 7, 2023.[42] She recorded further perfect 10.0s on uneven bars and balance beam against Alabama on February 3, 2023, tying her career-high all-around score of 39.825 against LSU on February 10.[43] However, after competing in eight meets and winning 18 event titles overall in her career, she was sidelined for the remainder of the season due to illness.[8] She concluded her NCAA tenure with two All-America honors that year and nine perfect 10.0s total across her time at Auburn.[44]

Health challenges and elite return (2023–2024)

In early 2023, Lee encountered severe health issues unrelated to gymnastics, including widespread swelling that prompted medical evaluation and a diagnosis of two rare, incurable kidney diseases of unknown origin.[45][46] The conditions led to significant water retention, fatigue, and an inability to train at full capacity, resulting in her medical team withholding clearance for competitive gymnastics and forcing the premature conclusion of her final NCAA season at Auburn University on April 3, 2023.[47] Lee managed her kidney diseases through medication, strict dietary modifications, and monitored physical activity, gradually restoring her health to remission by early 2024 despite the absence of a cure.[48] Motivated to pursue the 2024 Paris Olympics, she transitioned back to elite training under medical supervision and made a cautious competitive return at the U.S. Classic on August 4-5, 2023, where she performed only on vault and balance beam to rebuild strength and assess her physical limits.[49] Building momentum in 2024, Lee expanded her routines, securing the balance beam gold medal at the American Classic on April 27 with a score of 14.300—the event's highest individual apparatus mark—while also competing on vault.[50] She repeated as balance beam champion at the Core Hydration Classic on May 18, demonstrating improved consistency across events.[51] At the Xfinity U.S. Championships on May 30-June 2, Lee competed the all-around for the first time since the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, finishing fourth overall with scores reflecting her ongoing recovery and adaptation to elite demands.[52] These results underscored her resilience amid persistent health monitoring, positioning her for further selection processes.[53]

Paris Olympics (2024)

Sunisa Lee was selected to the United States women's artistic gymnastics team for the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris following her performances at the U.S. Olympic Trials, where she placed fifth all-around despite managing chronic kidney issues.[6] In the team qualification round on July 25, Lee contributed scores including 14.433 on uneven bars, helping the U.S. team secure first place overall and advance to the final.[54] During the team final on July 30, Lee's strong uneven bars routine scored 14.566, contributing to the U.S. team's gold medal victory with a total of 172.198 points, ahead of Italy (silver) and Brazil (bronze).[55] She also competed on balance beam, scoring 13.533, though the team rotated conservatively to preserve health.[7] In the individual all-around final on August 1, Lee finished third with a total score of 56.465, earning bronze behind Simone Biles (gold, USA) and Rebeca Andrade (silver, Brazil); her event scores were 14.733 (vault), 14.800 (bars), 13.666 (beam), and 13.266 (floor).[54] This marked her second consecutive Olympic all-around medal, following her gold in Tokyo 2020.[56] Lee qualified to the uneven bars event final based on her sixth-place finish in qualifications.[57] On August 4, she executed a routine with a 6.4 difficulty value and 8.400 execution, totaling 14.800 for bronze, behind Kaylia Nemour (gold, Algeria) and Qiu Qiyuan (silver, China).[7] This achievement made her the first American woman to win two Olympic medals on uneven bars.[6] Lee did not advance to finals in other individual events. Overall, she secured three medals in Paris: team gold, all-around bronze, and uneven bars bronze.[58]

Post-Paris developments (2024–2025)

Following the Paris Olympics, Lee received the 2024 ESPY Award for Best Comeback Athlete, recognizing her recovery from kidney disease and return to medal contention.[1] She was also named Glamour's 2024 Woman of the Year for her athletic achievements and resilience.[1] In November 2024, Sports Illustrated announced Lee as a rookie for its 2025 Swimsuit Issue, marking her entry into mainstream modeling.[59] On a personal level, Lee purchased a new home upon returning from Paris, using earnings from her Olympic success and endorsements to invest in property.[60] She continued her studies and training at Auburn University, where she had previously competed in NCAA gymnastics, though specific competition details for the 2025 season remain limited in public records.[8] In October 2025, Lee made her runway debut at the Victoria's Secret Fashion Show in New York, walking in short shorts and silver heels alongside WNBA player Angel Reese.[61] The appearance drew online criticism regarding her physique, prompting Lee to post a cryptic message about bullying and later directly addressing detractors, emphasizing resilience against body-shaming.[62] [63] Reflecting in a July 2025 interview, Lee discussed thriving post-Paris, crediting advice from Simone Biles for mental preparation and expressing interest in purposes beyond gymnastics, such as advocacy and media.[64] By September 2025, she hinted at potential participation in the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics, signaling ongoing elite aspirations despite health setbacks.[65] No elite-level competitions for Lee were reported after the Paris Games as of October 2025.[3]

Technical skills

Signature elements and routines

Sunisa Lee's performances on the uneven bars are characterized by fluid transitions, precise handstands, and high-difficulty releases that emphasize her upper-body strength and elegance. Her routines typically include a toe-on layout Tkatchev (Nabieva, G value), connected to a full-twisting Pak salto (Bhardwaj, E value), followed by a toe-on Shaposhnikova (Maloney, D value) and a piked Gienger (D value), culminating in combinations that yield significant connection value bonuses.[66] These elements, performed with minimal deductions for form, contributed to her 15.400 score in the Tokyo 2020 Olympic team final and a bronze medal (14.566) on bars at the Paris 2024 Olympics.[67] [68] A standout aspect of Lee's bars work is her pursuit of an original element: a full-twisting layout Jaeger release, involving a backward drop from handstand, piking to clear the low bar, a layout front flip with a 360-degree twist performed 3-4 feet above the bar, and re-catch on the high bar.[69] This skill, which adds a full twist to the rare layout Jaeger (potentially elevating it to H difficulty), requires exceptional timing and coordination; Lee first attempted it publicly at the 2024 Winter Cup but fell, and aimed to debut it successfully at the Paris Olympics for inclusion as "The Lee" in the FIG Code of Points, though it has not yet been ratified.[70] [69] On floor exercise, Lee's routines blend powerful tumbling—often featuring double layouts and full-in passes—with exceptional flexibility in leaps and artistic expression, earning praise for their graceful yet dynamic style.[71] She stuck all tumbling passes in the Tokyo 2020 all-around final (13.700 start value), highlighting her control under pressure.[72] Her floor music selections, such as those used in 2021 and 2024 U.S. Championships, underscore themes of poise and power, with scores reflecting strong execution despite occasional amplitude deductions.[73] [74] While competent on balance beam with routines featuring high D-scores (e.g., 6.7 at 2024 U.S. Championships) including acrobatic series and wolf turns, and on vault with layouts and potential Cheng upgrades, these lack the distinctive flair defining her bars and floor signatures.[75] [76] Lee's overall technical profile prioritizes bars and floor for competitive edge, informed by her training emphasis on those apparatuses post-Tokyo.[77]

Evolution of skills over career

Sunisa Lee's technical development began in her junior elite years (2016–2018), where she established herself as an uneven bars specialist by debuting advanced release moves, including the toe-on layout Tkatchev (Nabieva, rated G difficulty), which became a cornerstone of her routines.[66] Her early bars sequences emphasized fluid connections, such as Pak saltos and Shaposhnikova transitions, yielding difficulty scores (D-scores) around 5.5–6.0, while her beam and floor work focused on building amplitude and artistry rather than elite-level tumbling, with vault relying on a Yurchenko double full (approximately 5.0 D-score).[78] This foundation highlighted her strength in upper-body power and precision on bars, contrasting with relative weaknesses in power events like vault and floor.[4] Transitioning to senior elite in 2019, Lee upgraded her bars routine by integrating higher-value connections, including Nabieva to full-twisting Pak (Bhardwaj, E) and Van Leeuwen loops, pushing her D-score to 6.3 at the World Championships, where she earned bronze.[24] On floor, she debuted competitive double layouts and introduced silver-medal-worthy passes at Worlds, reflecting improved tumbling capacity, while beam saw additions like wolf turns and aerials for better CV (connection value). Vault remained a Yurchenko layout 1.5 or similar, with execution prioritized over upgrades. By 2021 Olympic Trials, her bars D-score reached 6.7, featuring piked Gienger releases and blind-change stalder elements, enabling a 15.300 execution score in Tokyo that anchored her all-around gold.[79][80] During her NCAA tenure (2021–2023), Lee adapted elite skills to collegiate constraints, debuting the Nabieva in NCAA history on February 25, 2022, against Kentucky, scoring 9.975 despite simplified dismounts for routine volume.[81] Floor tumbling advanced to include triple back elements in training, yielding perfect 10s (e.g., 9.95 career-high at Auburn), but beam and vault emphasized consistency over maximal difficulty, with D-scores capped at NCAA limits. Health setbacks from kidney disease in 2022–2023 necessitated strength rebuilding, temporarily reducing tumbling power on floor and vault.[82] In her 2024 elite return amid ongoing recovery, Lee prioritized bars and beam, training upgrades like a full-twisting Jaeger (D) on bars for potential D-score boosts to 6.6 via enhanced connections, though she competed a 6.4 version at Trials and Olympics, earning bronze in the bars final (14.800 total).[83][84] Beam routines maintained 6.0 D-scores with layout step-outs and switch rings but showcased refined execution for Olympic bronze (14.000 in final, post-fall recovery in quals). Floor and vault saw sporadic elite exposure, with a Cheng vault (5.6 D) at Core Classic and double pike passes in training, signaling gradual power restoration but not full AA competition by late 2024.[85][86] Overall, her career trajectory shifted from bars dominance to balanced event specialization post-Olympics, adapting to physical challenges while preserving high-difficulty signatures.[87]

Awards and honors

Olympic and international accolades

Sunisa Lee earned three medals at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics: gold in the individual all-around final on July 29, 2021, with a score of 57.433; silver in the team competition on July 27, 2021; and bronze on uneven bars in the event final on August 1, 2021.[3][4] At the 2024 Paris Olympics, she won gold in the team event on July 30, 2024; bronze in the all-around final on August 1, 2024, scoring 56.565; and bronze on uneven bars in the event final on August 4, 2024, with 14.466.[7][88] Her international accolades include contributions to the United States' team gold at the 2019 FIG Artistic Gymnastics World Championships in Stuttgart, Germany, on October 8, 2019, where she also secured individual silver on floor exercise in the event final with 14.000 and bronze on uneven bars with 14.800.[89][20] These achievements marked her senior international debut following junior successes, with no additional senior World Championship appearances due to Olympic cycles and collegiate commitments.[3]

NCAA and domestic recognitions

Sunisa Lee competed for the Auburn Tigers in NCAA women's gymnastics from 2021 to 2023. In 2022, as a freshman, she won the Southeastern Conference (SEC) uneven bars title at the SEC Championships on March 19, scoring a perfect 10.0.[90] She earned SEC Gymnast of the Week honors three times that season and SEC Freshman/Gymnast of the Week twice.[90] At the 2022 NCAA Championships in Fort Worth, Texas, on April 14–16, Lee captured the balance beam national title with a score of 9.9625 and placed second in the all-around with 39.675.[8] Her performances secured first-team All-America honors in all-around, balance beam, and floor exercise, and second-team honors on uneven bars, for a total of four at the championships and eight overall that year.[91] She contributed to Auburn's fourth-place team finish, the program's best ever.[5] Lee was nominated for the Honda Sport Award for Gymnastics.[91] In 2023, as a sophomore, Lee received additional SEC Gymnast of the Week recognition multiple times, including co-Gymnast of the Week in January.[92] In U.S. national championships, Lee won gold on uneven bars and bronze in the all-around at the 2018 event.[4] At the 2019 U.S. Championships, she earned silver in the all-around and two additional medals.[93]

Personal life

Education and academic pursuits

Sunisa Lee attended Battle Creek Elementary School in Saint Paul, Minnesota, during her early education.[1] She later enrolled at South St. Paul Secondary School, completing her high school diploma in June 2021.[1] Following her Olympic success in Tokyo, Lee enrolled at Auburn University in Alabama in the fall of 2021, joining the gymnastics team under coach Jeff Graba.[94][8] She committed to the institution years earlier, signing a National Letter of Intent in November 2017 at age 14.[95] As part of the Class of 2025, Lee pursued a degree in physical activity and health within Auburn's College of Education, balancing rigorous coursework with NCAA competition and elite training.[8][1] Lee has emphasized her dedication to academics amid her athletic career, stating in 2021 that she remained committed to college despite newfound fame, viewing it as a long-planned step independent of her Olympic achievements.[96] Her enrollment aligned with a transition to collegiate gymnastics, allowing her to compete under NCAA rules while advancing her studies.[3] By 2024, she continued her program at Auburn, integrating academic pursuits with preparations for international events like the Paris Olympics.[95]

Relationships and family influences

Sunisa Lee was born on March 9, 2003, in Saint Paul, Minnesota, to Hmong refugee parents whose families fled Laos amid the Vietnam War; her mother, Yeev Thoj, immigrated as a child, while her stepfather, John Lee, whom Thoj met when Lee was two years old, became a key parental figure in her upbringing.[11][97] Lee's biological surname was originally Phabsomphou, reflecting her Hmong heritage, but she adopted the Lee family name.[14] Lee grew up in a large household with five siblings—sisters Shyenne, Evionn, and brothers Noah, Lucky, and Jonah—many of whom share half- or step-relations through her mother's partnerships, fostering a tight-knit environment that emphasized communal support.[14][19] Her family's Hmong cultural background, rooted in resilience from refugee experiences, influenced her perseverance in gymnastics; Lee has credited her parents' encouragement and siblings' presence for motivating her early interest in the sport, which began at age six after watching older relatives perform flips.[98] Despite challenges, including her stepfather's role in providing stability after her biological father's construction accident left him paraplegic when Lee was six, the family prioritized her training, with Thoj driving her to practices and the household offering emotional backing during competitions.[11] In her personal relationships, Lee publicly dated American football player Jaylin Smith, a cornerback at the University of Southern California, beginning around 2021; the couple shared photos on social media in December 2021, but the interracial pairing drew significant online backlash from segments of the Hmong American community, prompting Lee to address the "so much hate" she received in interviews.[99][100] The relationship ended prior to 2025, after which Lee faced unsubstantiated rumors linking her to NBA players OG Anunoby and Justin Jefferson, which she clarified as overinterpretations of social media interactions rather than confirmed romances.[101][102] As of October 2025, Lee has not confirmed any ongoing romantic partnerships, maintaining a focus on her athletic and academic pursuits amid public scrutiny.[103]

Public image and media

Sponsorships and endorsements

Following her gold medal win in the all-around at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, Sunisa Lee secured multiple endorsement deals leveraging her profile as a prominent American gymnast. These partnerships, facilitated in part by NCAA name, image, and likeness (NIL) rules after she joined Auburn University in 2022, included agreements with consumer brands targeting active lifestyles and personal care.[104][105] Key endorsements encompassed Amazon, where she promoted products via sponsored content; Invisalign for orthodontic alignment; Target for retail collaborations; Gatorade for hydration and athletic performance; and CLIF Bar through a 2022 NIL partnership with the Voice in Sport Foundation aimed at elevating women in collegiate athletics.[104][106] Additional deals involved Crocs in February 2023 for footwear promotion; L'Oréal for beauty products; Marriott for hospitality; and Tatcha for skincare.[106][107] Post-2024 Paris Olympics, Lee expanded her portfolio with partnerships including Lululemon for athletic apparel in October 2024 and HOKA for running and training footwear announced in January 2025. Other brands such as Batiste (hair care), GK Elite (gymnastics apparel), Kiss Nails, LEGO, LoveShackFancy, PlayStation, Toyota, and Pearson+ (educational app) further diversified her endorsements, contributing to an estimated NIL market value of $1.5 million as of 2022 based on sponsored posts and contract potential.[108][109][107][110]

Television appearances and modeling

Lee participated in the thirtieth season of the dance competition series Dancing with the Stars, which aired on ABC from September to November 2021, partnering with professional dancer Sasha Farber; the duo advanced to the semifinals and placed fifth overall.[111] She described the training as more demanding than Olympic preparation due to its emphasis on rhythm and partnering.[111] Lee appeared in the 2020 YouTube Originals documentary series Defying Gravity: The Untold Story of Women's Gymnastics, a six-episode production that followed elite gymnasts training for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, including her journey with coach Jessalyn Mok at the Gophers Gymnastics club.[112] The series highlighted her technical skills on balance beam and uneven bars amid competitive pressures.[112] In modeling, Lee featured in the 2025 Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue, with photographs taken by Ben Horton in Boca Raton, Florida, marking her entry into mainstream fashion media as an Olympic athlete.[113] On October 16, 2025, she walked the runway at the Victoria's Secret Fashion Show in New York City, the first U.S. Olympic gymnast and first Hmong American to do so, joining WNBA All-Star Angel Reese as pioneering athletes in the event's history.[114][115] Lee modeled pieces from the PINK line, describing the experience as a "dream come true."[115]

Social media presence and fan interactions

Sunisa Lee maintains a significant presence on major social media platforms, where she shares content related to her gymnastics career, personal life, training routines, and endorsements. As of October 2025, her Instagram account (@sunisalee) has approximately 4 million followers, featuring over 200 posts including behind-the-scenes footage from competitions, motivational messages, and fashion-related content.[116] On TikTok (@sunisalee_), she posts short-form videos that have garnered high engagement, such as a 2025 Victoria's Secret Fashion Show clip receiving over 852,000 likes, contributing to her status as an influencer with viral appeal. Her X (formerly Twitter) account (@sunisalee_) focuses on updates about events and achievements, with posts highlighting her Olympic successes and public appearances.[117] Lee's social media strategy emphasizes authentic engagement, blending athletic highlights with relatable personal stories to build a dedicated fanbase. Following her Olympic triumphs, she experienced substantial follower growth, transitioning into a multifaceted influencer role that includes sponsored content and trend participation, such as TikTok challenges during the 2024 Paris Games.[118] [119] She has occasionally adjusted her online activity for focus, notably deleting apps temporarily after attributing a 2021 uneven bars performance issue to excessive social media use during the Tokyo Olympics.[120] [121] Interactions with fans often involve direct responses and humorous exchanges, fostering a sense of community. In June 2025, during a public panel, Lee reacted lightheartedly to a fan shouting "OG" while discussing her basketball fandom, replying with a concise two-word acknowledgment that amplified the moment online.[122] She frequently uses Instagram Stories to communicate gratitude and updates, such as reposting fan content after appearances and sharing messages of self-love amid public scrutiny.[123] Fan enthusiasm has also manifested in social media buzz around her personal sightings, like a September 2025 Minnesota State Fair appearance with NFL player Justin Jefferson, which sparked widespread discussion and support.[124] This engagement underscores her appeal as an accessible figure, though she has navigated challenges like privacy invasions amplified by online visibility.[125]

Controversies and criticisms

Racist attacks and ethnic discrimination

In November 2021, Sunisa Lee, along with two friends of Asian descent, was targeted in a drive-by racist attack while waiting for a ride-share in Los Angeles, where she was participating in season 30 of Dancing with the Stars.[126][127] The assailants in a passing car shouted anti-Asian racial slurs before deploying pepper spray, leaving Lee and her companions with burning eyes and skin irritation that required medical attention.[128][129] Lee described the incident to PopSugar as feeling "horrible," noting it occurred amid a surge in anti-Asian hate crimes, with over 4,500 such incidents reported in the U.S. in the first half of 2021 alone by organizations tracking bias-motivated violence.[130][129] Authorities investigated it as a potential hate crime, though no arrests were publicly reported by early 2022.[127] The attack highlighted broader patterns of ethnic discrimination faced by Asian Americans, particularly Hmong individuals like Lee, whose heritage traces to Laotian refugees resettled in the U.S. after the Vietnam War.[126] Lee, the first Hmong American to win an Olympic gold medal, has spoken publicly about the emotional toll, emphasizing how such violence underscores vulnerabilities despite her athletic prominence.[128] In early 2022, Lee faced online ethnic backlash from segments of the Hmong American community over her interracial relationship with Auburn Tigers football player Jaylin Smith, who is Black.[131] She reported receiving "so much hate" via social media comments criticizing her choice of partner, with some expressing disapproval rooted in cultural endogamy preferences within Hmong circles.[132] In a TikTok response, Lee attributed much of the vitriol directly to members of the Hmong community, stating it intensified scrutiny on her personal life post-Olympics.[131] This intra-ethnic discrimination echoed tensions in some immigrant communities over dating outside racial lines, though Lee maintained the relationship publicly.[132]

Body shaming and health-related scrutiny

Following her Olympic success in 2021, Sunisa Lee experienced significant health challenges from two rare, incurable kidney conditions, which caused acute water retention and led to a 45-pound weight gain in 2023.[133] [48] These symptoms, including reduced urination for two weeks and family history of kidney problems, initially resulted in misdiagnoses, delaying effective treatment and exacerbating her physical changes.[134] The conditions forced her to halt training and competitions, prompting her withdrawal from NCAA events at Auburn University in April 2023 for medical reasons unrelated to gymnastics injuries.[135] [136] Lee's altered physique drew online criticism within gymnastics circles, where expectations for low body weight and leanness are stringent due to the sport's demands on power-to-weight ratios and aerial execution.[137] Commentators and fans questioned her suitability for elite competition, with some attributing her struggles to personal failings rather than medical causes, despite her public disclosures.[138] Lee later revealed that the scrutiny nearly led her to abandon gymnastics entirely, as the combination of symptoms like eczema flare-ups and edema made sustained training untenable.[45] [139] In October 2025, Lee faced renewed body shaming after debuting at the Victoria's Secret Fashion Show on October 15, where detractors targeted her height, build, and post-recovery appearance via social media trolls.[140] [141] She responded directly on TikTok, urging critics to "stop bullying me now," emphasizing the event as a personal milestone outside her athletic norm and rejecting the harassment as unfounded.[142] Lee has attributed her resilience to medical support, including crediting her nephrologist—whom she brought as her date to the 2025 ESPY Awards—for managing the chronic conditions that continue to influence her public image.[143] [144]

Team dynamics and public disputes

Sunisa Lee has exhibited strong camaraderie with her US national gymnastics teammates, particularly during high-pressure Olympic events. Prior to the team final at the 2024 Paris Olympics on July 30, Simone Biles and Jordan Chiles encouraged Lee to embrace her status as the reigning Olympic all-around champion, helping her overcome pre-competition nerves and contributing to the team's gold medal victory.[145] Similarly, in 2021, after Biles withdrew from several events at the Tokyo Olympics due to mental health concerns, Lee described her teammates as "The Fighting Four," expressing pride in their collective resilience and performance.[146] A notable public dispute emerged with former US teammate MyKayla Skinner ahead of the 2024 Paris Games. On July 2024, Skinner uploaded a now-deleted YouTube video questioning the current team's overall talent and work ethic, claiming it lacked the "superpowers" and depth of prior Olympic squads while praising Biles as an exception.[147] Lee addressed the remarks in an October 3, 2024, interview, calling them "frustrating" and "annoying" in light of the team's rigorous training and personal hardships, including her own battles with kidney disease.[148] [149] Biles escalated the response by posting on social media that Skinner had been "ended," a statement Lee endorsed enthusiastically, highlighting the protective dynamics within the active roster.[150] The episode underscored tensions between current athletes and some alumni perceptions of team standards, though it did not fracture ongoing national team cohesion.[151] Lee further demonstrated team loyalty during the August 2024 controversy over Jordan Chiles' Paris floor exercise bronze medal. On August 10, the International Olympic Committee upheld a ruling requiring Chiles to return the medal due to a U.S. inquiry filed four seconds past the one-minute deadline, reassigning it to Romania's Ana Bărbosu. Lee publicly supported Chiles, posting messages of solidarity alongside Biles and others, framing the decision as unjust and emphasizing emotional backing for her teammate amid the fallout.[152] [153] This incident reinforced Lee's role in fostering unity, contrasting with external critiques like Skinner's.

References

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  145. Simone Biles and Jordan Chiles encouraged Suni Lee to “walk out ...
  146. Sunisa Lee says 'she's never been prouder' of her teammates
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  148. Suni Lee Calls Out MyKayla Skinner's Criticism of Her and U.S. ...
  149. Olympian Suni Lee Responds to MyKayla Skinner's Criticism
  150. Suni Lee loved that Simone Biles called out MyKayla Skinner after ...
  151. Suni Lee enters Simone Biles-MyKayla Skinner drama
  152. Simone Biles, Suni Lee back Jordan Chiles amid Paris Olympics ...
  153. Simone Biles, Suni Lee share messages to Jordan Chiles after ...
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