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Sunisa Lee.
The 18-year-old placed first at the women’s gymnastics individual all-around event on Thursday, making Team USA the proud winner of five straight women’s all-around golds, starting with Carly Patterson in 2004.
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Jamie Squire/Getty
03of 18Jamie Squire/GettyAhead of her Olympic achievement, Lee toldPEOPLEthat being an Olympian means “the world for me,” and that “I want to do it for my family and coaches obviously, but I also want to do it for myself. I’ve just been through so much.”
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Ahead of her Olympic achievement, Lee toldPEOPLEthat being an Olympian means “the world for me,” and that “I want to do it for my family and coaches obviously, but I also want to do it for myself. I’ve just been through so much.”
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Sunisa Lee.Jamie Squire/Getty
05of 18Jamie Squire/GettySuni is the pride of her home state of Minnesota and ofher father John, who toldToday’s Craig Melvin, “It’s unreal, you know? There’s only four spots available [on the women’s gymnastics tema] and so she made it and that’s pretty tough.“John also shared that when he couldn’t afford to buy a balance beam for Suni, he built one in their backyard to help her train.
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Suni is the pride of her home state of Minnesota and ofher father John, who toldToday’s Craig Melvin, “It’s unreal, you know? There’s only four spots available [on the women’s gymnastics tema] and so she made it and that’s pretty tough.”
John also shared that when he couldn’t afford to buy a balance beam for Suni, he built one in their backyard to help her train.
06of 18Jamie Squire/Getty"I talk to her, I motivate her,“John told Melvin, adding, “But the real secret is: I think it’s her. I think she’s pretty natural.”
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“I talk to her, I motivate her,“John told Melvin, adding, “But the real secret is: I think it’s her. I think she’s pretty natural.”
07of 18Jamie Squire/GettyThe Olympian landed her spot in theindividual all-around competitionafter her standout performance during the qualifiers, performing an unbelievable routine on the uneven bars that earned her the highest difficulty score in the world.
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The Olympian landed her spot in theindividual all-around competitionafter her standout performance during the qualifiers, performing an unbelievable routine on the uneven bars that earned her the highest difficulty score in the world.
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“It’s been all of our dreams and for them to not even be able to go to the Olympics and watch is something that is so heartbreaking. But I think they’re going to have a little watch party,” Lee toldPEOPLEof her loved ones in St. Paul and across the U.S.
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10of 18Jamie Squire/Getty"Mentally it’s helped me because I had to take that little break from gymnastics, which is obviously hard, but it was something that needed to be done,” she said. “Right now, mentally it’s helped because it makes me want this even more.”
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“Mentally it’s helped me because I had to take that little break from gymnastics, which is obviously hard, but it was something that needed to be done,” she said. “Right now, mentally it’s helped because it makes me want this even more.”
11of 18Jamie Squire/GettyWhile chatting with reporters on Thursday, Lee also opened up about previous times in her life when sheconsidered quitting gymnasticsaltogether.“The waiting game was something that I hated so much … but when I saw that my score went on top, it was so emotional. I didn’t think I’d ever be here,” she said. “There was a point where I wanted to quit, so to even say that I’m an Olympic gold medalist and be here is just so crazy.”
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While chatting with reporters on Thursday, Lee also opened up about previous times in her life when sheconsidered quitting gymnasticsaltogether.
“The waiting game was something that I hated so much … but when I saw that my score went on top, it was so emotional. I didn’t think I’d ever be here,” she said. “There was a point where I wanted to quit, so to even say that I’m an Olympic gold medalist and be here is just so crazy.”
12of 18Jamie Squire/GettyWhen askedwhat made her consider quitting the sport, Lee shared that the pandemic played a large role.“Quarantine, for sure, and then when I broke my foot [were times I thought of quitting], because it wasn’t getting any better and it just felt like I wasn’t ever going to be able to make it to the Olympics,” she said.
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When askedwhat made her consider quitting the sport, Lee shared that the pandemic played a large role.
“Quarantine, for sure, and then when I broke my foot [were times I thought of quitting], because it wasn’t getting any better and it just felt like I wasn’t ever going to be able to make it to the Olympics,” she said.
13of 18Jamie Squire/Getty"This is our dream,” Lee said of her father John. “It sucks that he couldn’t be here.”
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“This is our dream,” Lee said of her father John. “It sucks that he couldn’t be here.”
14of 18Sunisa Lee.Lee ended up celebrating her gold medal win with her family virtually. “Before the medal ceremony I FaceTimed them and I talked to them. We were all just crying on the phone,” she said. “It was a very surreal moment.““My parents are just the most amazing people in my life, I love them so much,” she added.
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Lee ended up celebrating her gold medal win with her family virtually. “Before the medal ceremony I FaceTimed them and I talked to them. We were all just crying on the phone,” she said. “It was a very surreal moment.”
“My parents are just the most amazing people in my life, I love them so much,” she added.
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Speaking toTodayafter his daughter’s big win, John said, “we’re so proud of her.”
16of 18Sunisa Lee.Upon learning that she had won gold, Lee hugged her coach Jess Graba, who has been her coach since elementary school.“She’s tough as nails,” Graba told theWashington Post. “People don’t see that. They don’t know how hurt she is. They don’t know how stressed out she is. They don’t know how nervous she is.”
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Upon learning that she had won gold, Lee hugged her coach Jess Graba, who has been her coach since elementary school.
“She’s tough as nails,” Graba told theWashington Post. “People don’t see that. They don’t know how hurt she is. They don’t know how stressed out she is. They don’t know how nervous she is.”
17of 18Sunisa Lee.Jamie Squire/GettySpeaking with reporters after the event, Lee said that shecould not believe what she had achieved.“Coming into this competition, I didn’t even think that I could be competing for a gold medal,” she said. “I was coming to compete for a silver medal. To be here, it’s crazy.”
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Speaking with reporters after the event, Lee said that shecould not believe what she had achieved.
“Coming into this competition, I didn’t even think that I could be competing for a gold medal,” she said. “I was coming to compete for a silver medal. To be here, it’s crazy.”
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From left to right: Bronze medalist Angelina Melnikova of Team ROC, gold medalist Sunisa Lee of Team United States and silver medalist Rebeca Andrade of Team Brazil.Jamie Squire/Getty Images
source: people.com
