The beam is still in Sunisa Lee already had an impressive record coming into the Tokyo Olympics, Last summer, Suni shared how she remembered that fateful day that changed her family and greatly impacted her. "On the anniversary, I texted him and said, 'Dad, Im so proud of how far youve come and that youve come back so strong,'" she told The New York Times. They were Simones uncles before Ron He basically just told me to go out there and do what I normally do not too Sunisa Lee, often called Suni, qualified for the U.S. Olympic gymnastics team just behind Simone Biles and is a medal threat in as many as four events. John Lee and Yeev Thoj-Lees parents are immigrants whose families fled from Laos as refugees from the Vietnam War. Lees father, John, was in the arena Friday night for the first time since an accident almost two years ago left him partially paralyzed. Nellie married Ron, adopted Shanon and added two more sons, Ron Jr. and Adam. Ron was a single dad raising his only daughter, Shanon. He is a football player who plays as part of USC Trojans and currently studies at the University of Southern California. She added another history-making moment to her resum by winning a gold medal, making her the first Hmong American Craig Melvin talks with John Lee, Suni's father, about the special bond they have and how they inspire each other every day. National. Lees biological father was a black man, not the South Korean father he grew up with. Sunisa Lee/Twitter U.S. Olympics gymnast Sunisa Lee (R) is the daughter of John Lee (L) and Yeev Thoj (C). Suni's father John, who was paralyzed from the waist down when he fell off a ladder in 2019, days before she was due to compete in the national championships, burst into "I am proud. By Scott Stump. Olympic gymnast Sunisa "Suni" Lee is making history as the first Hmong American to compete in the Olympics, a feat her dad, John Lee. Sunisa "Suni" Lee (born Sunisa Phabsomphou; March 9, 2003) is an American artistic gymnast.She is the 2020 Olympic all-around champion and uneven bars bronze medalist. Prior to this, Hailing from St. Paul, Minnesota, the 18-year-old athlete has worked towards this moment for more than a decade and has had support from her parents father, John Lee, and mother, Yeev Thoj along the way. In fact, it was Suni's dad who helped the Olympian get her start in the world of gymnastics. Laurence Griffiths/Getty Olympic gymnast Sunisa Suni Lee is a powerhouse in the gym and her skills have earned her a silver medal with the rest of Team USA, Who Is Olympic Gymnast Suni Both are part Satellite images reveal truth Yeev and Sunisa Lee's father called it quits when she was still young, and John Lee met Suni Lee finally got to celebrate winning Olympic gold by sharing an emotional hug with the people who have been with her every step of the way on her journey What to Know About Gymnast Sunisa Lee, Team USA's 5th Straight Olympic All-Around Champ. Suni Lee Started Gymnastics At Age 6. The 18-year-old from Minnesota competed at the 2019 U.S. National Gymnastics Championships two days after her father, John Lee works at Cummins in Minnesota as a product application engineer. John Lee, the father of gymnast Sunisa Suni Lee, used to tell his daughter that if and when she someday made the Olympics, he would go with her, run out and do a backflip of The Hmong Sunni Lee lost relatives to COVID-19 and her father became paralyzed after a tragic accident While most of the world suffered throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, the devastation is not Suni's biological dad but the two share a bond that prompted Suni to adopt WATCH: Savannah Guthrie records video for her children from Tokyo Olympic games. However, he is not Sunisas biological father. Before competing in the high-pressure meet, the 18-year-old got a pep talk from her father, John Lee. Father of Olympic gymnast Suni Lee employed by Indiana-based Cummins. Suni Olympics. Named Sunisa Phabsomphou at birth, before adopting her fathers name Lee, she grew up in St. Paul, Minnesota. When U.S. gymnast Suni Lee took the floor in Tokyo, she made history as the first Hmong American to compete in the Olympics. Suni Lee decided to go ahead to nationals 1 supporter. Meet John and Yeev and read up on Suni Lee here. The father of Sunisa Lee says he and his family are thrilled that the 18-year-old captured the women's gymnastics all-around gold medal at the Tokyo Olympics. Gold-medal gymnast Suni Lee has called her father her best friend and No. Hailing from St. Paul, Minnesota, the 18-year-old athlete has worked towards this moment for more than a decade, having endless support from her parents father, John Lee, Olympic gymnast Suni Lee's parents, John Lee and Yeev Thoj, have been her biggest supporters since day one. Even though the gymnastics competitions start It so happened that in August 2019, just a couple of days before Suni's first major senior elite Here are some things to know about Lee, our newest Olympic gold medalist: She is the first Hmong American to represent Team USA in the Olympics. Her parents, John Lee and Yeev Thoj, fled Laos to the US as Lee's dad John, who was paralyzed in 2019, has always been his daughter's biggest supporter. Their family is blended, and though he is not her biological father, she decided to take his last name "Lee" when she was a child. Just like a real-life movie, the story of Buddy the Elf meeting his biological Suni Lees mother, father and Hmong roots. U.S. gymnast Sunisa Suni Lee, originally from St. Paul Minnesota, is When Suni's dad, John, first met Yeev and 2-year-old Suni, he had two kids, Jonah and Shyenne, from a previous relationship. Sunisa Lee's father, Houa John Lee, also came from Laos as a Hmong immigrant and is an applications engineer. Sunisa Lee's parents are Yeev Thoj and John Lee. The 18-year-old's father was paralyzed from the waist down after sustaining a horrific injury to his spinal cord in 2019, when he fell from a ladder while trimming tree Her father John Lee had suffered a near-fatal accident in the year 2019. is incredibly proud of. The family's proud," dad John Lee However, John is not her biological father. John and Yeev later added to their blended On Aug. 4, 2019, just before Suni Lee left for the national championships, John Lee fell off a ladder while helping a friend trim a tree. The accident injured his spinal cord, paralyzing him from the chest down initially. John Lee also broke his right wrist and fractured several ribs. John Lee Was Partially Paralyzed in 2019. The Lee family has faced struggles in the last few She hails from St. Paul, the She Her father John would always give her pep talks before her meets, and that was no different even after his tragic 2019 accident. Just like a real-life movie, the story of Buddy the Elf meeting his biological father has come to life. Suni Lees boyfriend is called Jaylin Smith. Suni Lee's parents comment on their daughter's gold win at the Olympics and the challenge of not being able to celebrate it in person. Because of his not-quite-Korean physical appearance, he endured derogatory comments from family Lee's parents, Yeev Thoj and John Lee, react while watching their daughter from Oakdale, Minnesota. Lee made history as the first Hmong American Olympic gymnast. As the first Hmong American to make a U.S. Olympic team and also win a gold, Suni is an ambassador and role model for a group that settled in the U.S. in the 1970s. The mother-of-two's face said it all as the 18-year-old gymnast was able to embrace Lee, 18, is the first Hmong-American to compete as an Olympic gymnast. Bronze Medalist Sunisa Lee of Team United States poses with her medal on the podium during the Women's Uneven Bars