"This is my family's medal, my medal"
Sunisa ‘Suni’ Lee made history on Thursday by becoming the first Asian American woman to win a gold medal in gymnastics all-around.
The 18-year-old earned 57.433 points at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics event, which was 0.135 more than silver medal winner Brazil’s Rebeca Andrade.
Lee is the fifth consecutive US gymnast to take gold in the all-around competition but is the first Asian woman to do so.
Speaking to the media after her win, Lee said, “This has been our dream forever. I wish [my father] was here.”
“He always told me if I win the gold medal, he would come out on the ground and do a backflip. It’s sad that he can’t be here, but this is our dream and this our medal.”
“We both worked for this. He sacrificed everything to put me in gymnastics. Both my parents really have. This is my family’s medal, my medal. My coach’s medal. He doesn’t get a medal, so I’m dedicating it to all of them.”
The gymnast’s father John Lee said about his daughter, “She goes to the gym and she practices but we don’t have a beam here. So I couldn’t afford a real beam, so I built her one.”
In other Olympics news, US swimmer Erica Sullivan has talked about winning a medal, being queer and being Asian.