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Suni Lee

Suni Lee

Athlete

Grit, perseverance, determination and confidence led Suni Lee to win a gold medal as the individual all-around gymnastics champion—as well as a silver medal for all-around team and a bronze for the uneven bars—at the Tokyo 2020 Summer Olympics, which took place last year after being delayed by COVID-19. A six-time member of the U.S. women’s national gymnastics team, she made history as the first-ever Hmong American to compete in the Olympics and the first Asian all-around gymnastics champion of any nationality. On top of an already groundbreaking 2021, Lee went on to compete on season 30 of Dancing With the Stars just a few months after the Olympic Games wrapped up. She and her partner Sasha Farber were eliminated during week nine of the dance competition, finishing in fifth place. However, despite not leaving with the trophy, the real prize was finding herself: “Obviously, we didn’t make it to the finale, but I feel like I finally found myself, and I’m more confident in myself,” the 18-year-old gold medalist shared during a backstage interview. “And I feel like I’m more open now, and that was the main goal to come on this show…I love myself more than ever, and that is a really important thing.”

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