US gymnast Simone Biles has surprised Suni Lee’s father with a new wheelchair.
Lee, who made history by becoming the first Asian American woman to win a gold medal in gymnastics all-around, has not been shy in devoting her achievements to her father.
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.”
Biles, who was warmed by Lee’s relationship with her father took it upon herself to gift him with a brand new wheelchair.
John Lee, Suni’s father, was paralyzed from the chest down after falling off a ladder just two days before his daughter’s World Championships.
With the help of TODAY, Biles sent a message to Mr Lee, gifting him with an electronic wheelchair to replace his manual one.
“Hi, Mr. Lee, it’s Simone. I love your daughter, Suni, so much and I know how much she loves you,” Biles said to him in a video message on TODAY. “You have done so much for her so I reached out to my friends at the TODAY show to see if we could do something special for you. Hope you like it.”
“Oh, my God,” he said in surprise. “Oh my, that is awesome.”
Suni’s brother, Lucky, was often his father’s ‘driver’ but the new wheelchair will provide him with more mobility on his own.
“It’ll be a little different because now they don’t have to keep pushing me around,” Mr Lee said.
“Well, this is amazing,” he said. “Thank you, guys!”
In other sports news, Detroit Tigers television analyst Jack Morris has been suspended indefinitely after using a racist accent to discuss Los Angeles pitcher Shoehei Ohtani.
