2024 Paris Olympics: Suni Lee wins another bronze on uneven bars

Suni Lee can rest assured that she belongs in the upper echelons of women gymnasts after winning her bronze medal in the uneven bars.

Even after winning the overall best best gymnast in the Tokyo Olympics, a little bit of self doubt lingered as social media trolls were constantly reminding her that she won only because Simone Biles had dropped out of the competition.

But helping the US team win a gold and and earning a bronze medal in the overall in Paris helped boost her confidence. But winning a bronze Sunday on uneven bars, her best event, should erased all doubt.

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The eight women competing on the uneven bars were the best in the world in that event. The packed field included the two women who won gold and silver in Tokyo, the current world champion and the European champion. 

As the 21-year old Hmong American awaited her turn, she watched -- and cheered -- her competition. 

Qiu Qiyuan of China perormed beautifully and scored a 15.5. Algeria's Kaylia Nemour sailed through her difficult routine and scored a 15.7.

Lee was the first to embrace them as they came down to the floor but she knew she had to be at her best to join them on the podium.

Lee nailed her routine. Her score, a 14.8, was enough for a bronze medal. When Lee saw her score, her mouth dropped open and her eyes popped.

"I watched everyone go up there and I was like, 'Oh my gosh. I have to have the best routine of my life.’ And that’s what I did!” Lee said.

After battling two kidney ailments and working her way back to Olympic form, there was doubt that she could return to competitive form, mush less qualify for the USA Olympic team. Her performance at the Olympics was sweeter than her historic Tokyo victories. She's back. She belongs.

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Suni Lee, Asher Hong help secure medals for the US gymnastic teams

TEAM USA

Asher Hong was a steady and inspirational leader for the US men's gymnastic team.

A pair of Asian Americans helped the United States' men;s and women's gymnastic teams to medals. The highly favored women's team won a gold medal and the men ended a 16-year medal drought by winning a bronze.

It was the first medal since 2008 for the men. The surprising performance could very well be attributed to Asher Hong's enthusiasm. The TV cameras showed him pumping up his teammates, cheering them on and then heartily congratulating them with shouts, pumping fists and man-hugs.

“I’m always the hype, man. I just wanted to give all my energy for my boys," said Hong. "I mean, if I’m not competing, I’m usually cheering for my boys. It gets me excited and I hope it gets them excited and gives them energy to go and have fun just like I do cheering for them.”

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Though it was Hong's first Olympics but his solid, steady performance on the rings, vault and floor exercise kept the men's team in the hunt for a medal.

“To finally go out there and show off the routines is like, feels awesome… I feel like I did my job to the best of my extent. I mean, I hit the events that I needed to. High bar was a little messed up, but I recovered well,” said Stanford senior Hong, who was born in Plano, Texas.

"I mean, it’s unbelievable," Hong told NBC News. "We put in so much hard work at home, and we just put our trust and belief in each other, and we went out there, had fun."

Although the US women's team was expected to perform well, high expectations bring its own kind of pressure. Anything less than a gold medal would have been a disappointment.

But when the pressure is on, the women lived up to their reputation as the best gymnasts in the world.

TEAM USA

Suni Lee starred in her return to the Olympics and will defend her title Thursday.

“We had so many expectations on us this time,” Lee said in a post-game news conference. “But I think we did exactly what we were supposed to. We went out there and we had fun with it.”

Japan and China won the Gold and Silver medals respectively.

Suni Lee,  a Hmong American, overcame serious illnesses to return to the form that won her a gold medal  in Tokyo as the Best All-around Gymnast,

After Tokyo, Lee enrolled at Auburn University and played for the school but after a successful first year, she came down with a serious kidney ailment that caused her to return home to Little Canada, Minnesota to receive treatment and recover. For a while, it looked like Paris was not in her future.

However, over the next few years, she regained her strength and worked hard to return to her competitive form.

After losing to the Russians in Tokyo, on Tuesday, teaming up with Simone Biles and Jordan Chiles (with Lee subbing for Jade Carey, who was feeling ill) the US are champions once again.

Lee and Hong coud potentionally win more medals

Although Hong didn't qualify for the men's all around on Wednesday, he will compete on individual apparatus in the following days. Among the American men, he scored highest on rings (14.533) and vault (14.833).

Lee, the reigning women's champion, will compete for the all-around title Thursday (Aug. 1) with her biggest competition being Biles, considered by many as the best gymnast the US has ever produced. It will be the first time to women who have won the women's individual championship will compete against each other.

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Two Asian American gymnasts make US gymnastic team, but not Suni Lee

The US women's gymnastic team going to Worlds are, from left: Joselyn Roberson, Leanne Wong, Shilese Jones, Kayla DiCello, Skye Blakely and Simone Biles.

One familiar name will be missing on the women's gymnastic team the United States will be sending to the Artistic World Championships this coming weekend. However, the 2020 Olympic all-around gold medalist Sunisa Lee will not be making the trip to Antwerp, Belgium.

The 20-year old Lee, the first Hmong American to win an Olympic gold for the US, had to withdraw from competition to recover from nagging health issues.

“It was a very difficult decision, but my health is more important and I’m not in the best shape right now,” said Lee in an Instagram story post last week.

“I have been in and out of the gym just because there’s just so many doctor’s appointments, and I’m taking a lot of medication, so it kind of varies every day,” Lee told Olympics.com last month. “I could wake up very swollen some days and not be able to put my fingers inside my grips. It’s really difficult to kind of work through, but on the days that I can do stuff and I am feeling good, I try and take advantage of that and just get everything done.”

Leading the US women's team will be Simone Biles, who at the age of 26 is making a triumphant return to competitive gymnastics after she dropped out of the 2020 Olympics for mental health reasons. The same kidney-related condition was a factor in Lee dropping out of competing for Auburn University last year.

Joining Biles on the US team are two less familiar Asian Americans but who have been competing internationally for years: 2021 World all-around silver and floor exercise bronze medalist Leanne Wong, and 2021 World Championships all-around bronze medalist Kayla DiCello, who was named traveling replacement athlete.

Rounding out the team will be 2022 World all-around and uneven bars silver medalist Shi Jones; 2022 team gold medalist Skye Blakely; 2021 World all-around silver and first-time Worlds competitor, 2023 US vault champion Joscelyn Roberson.

The Worlds US team wa named following a second day of select routines Sept. 20. Also named were the US women's team for the Pan Am Games slated for Oct. 21-25 in Santiago, Chile.

DiCello will also compete in Santiago along with Olympic silver medalist Jordan Chiles; 2023 US floor exercise runner up and Winter Cup champion Kaliya Lincoln; 2023 Pan American Championships all-around, balance beam and team gold medalist Tiana Sumanasekera; and 2023 Winter Cup and Core Hydration Classic uneven bars champion Zoe Miller.

Sixteen-year old Sumanasekera, from Pleasanton, California, is the first Sri Lanka-born athlete to represent the US.

Suni Lee

Suni Lee, a Minneapolis-native, however, has no regrets for passing up this year's competitions. Her next goal is to prepare herself for next season’s tryouts for the 2024 Olympics.

“(It) was definitely a hard decision, but I’m 100% sure I made the right call in order to be my best for the upcoming year,” said Lee.

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'Sports Illustrated' names Hmong American Suni Lee Female as Athlete of the Year

SUNI LEE

Olympic gold medal winner Suni Lee was named Female Athlete of the Year by Sports Illustrated. She is the first Hmong American to win that honor.

“Thank you to everyone who has supported me along this journey. I hope to be an example to those who have a passion for something, but don’t always have the tools and support system needed to do so,” she wrote on Instagram after the awards ceremony Tuesday.

She repeated a portion of her thank you speech when she was handed the award: “Remember you don’t have to be great to start, but you have to start to be great. This year has been a dream come true and it’s just the beginning.”

The University of Auburn first-year student won three medals at the Tokyo Olympics over the summer, including an individual gold medal for her all-around competition. She also won a silver medal for Team competition and a bronze for the uneven bars.

She stepped up to the challenge after star gymnast and team leader Simone Biles withdrew from the competition as she struggled with her mental health.

Lee, who is a first-generation Hmong American, has spoken about her connection with her culture and community. In an interview with People magazine in July, she said becoming the first Hmong American Olympic gymnast “means a lot to the Hmong community ... and to just be an inspiration to other Hmong people [means] a lot to me too.”

Last month, Lee said she had been a victim of anti-Asian violence. In Los Angeles, standing on a sidewalk with friends, she said a car drove by with people in it shouting racial slurs at Lee, and one person pepper-sprayed her arm as the car sped away.

Fellow Olympian, swimmer Caeleb Dressler, was named Male Athlete of the Year. 

Tokyo Olympics: With Simone Biles' withdrawal, all eyes turn to Suni Lee in women's gymnastics competition

SCREEN CAPTURE / NBC

Sunisa Lee is now the best hope in the gymnastic individual all-around competition.

UPDATED July 28, 11:15 a.m. PDT, to include Lee's tweet.

Suddenly,18-year old Suni Lee, the first Hmong American Olympic athlete, was in the spotlight, and so was the pressure.

That changed Sunday. Shaky mental health was the reason Simone Biles, who before the Olympics was expected to sweep all the gold medals, withdrew from the gymnastics team competition at the Tokyo Olympics.

Lee, who finished second to Biles in the U.S. championships, delivered when the U.S. team was still reeling from Biles decision and needed an emotional lift to remain competitive with the Russians

After a shaky performance on the vault, Biles took herself out of the competition and suddenly left the floor. She returned, but she had decided to not compete in the team competition. Biles' training partner Jordan Chiles was called in the take the place of Biles.

The next event, the uneven bars, is Lee's specialty. It is the one apparatus that Biles was not expected to win because of Lee's complex spectacular routine. She earned a score of 15.4, the highest score of the night. Lee's performance on the bars signaled the rest of the room that the U.S. was not going to go down without a fight.

Lee nailed her balance beam routine. The rest of the U.S. team did their best with just a few mistakes.

Lee took Biles place on the floor competition and even without preparation or warm up, scored high enough to keep the U.S. close to the Russians.

The Russians three strong floor routines was enough fo win the team competition, The first time in three straight Olympics that the U.S. did not take the gold.

Lee will now compete in Thursday's individual all-around, a competition that she could win, now that her teammate Biles is not competing.

Meanwhile, Biles, acknowledged as the greatest gymnast -- male or female -- of all time will decide later whether or not she will compete in the separate apparatus.

Late Tuesday night, Biles announced that she would not be taking part in the individual all-around. "I'm taking one day at a time," she told reporters, admitting that the problem is more mental than physical.

"Whenever you get in a high stress situation, you kind of freak out," Biles told reporters on Tuesday. "I have to focus on my mental health and not jeopardize my health and well-being.

"It just sucks when you're fighting with your own head." 

"After further medical evaluation, Simone Biles has withdrawn from the final individual all-around competition at the Tokyo Olympic Games, in order to focus on her mental health," tweeted USA Gymnastics.

"Simone will continue to be evaluated daily to determine whether or not to participate in next week's individual event finals. Jade Carey, who had the ninth highest score in qualifications, will participate in her place in the all-around.

"We wholeheartedly support Simone's decision and applaud her bravery in prioritizing her well-being. Her courage shows, yet again, why she is a role model for so many."

Asked about Biles in a press conference after the team competition, Lee responded, “To see her kind of go out like that is very sad because this Olympic Games, I feel like, is kind of hers.”

A reporter asked Lee if she stacks up against the competition, Biles interjected, giving  Lee some impromptu advice, "Instead of competing against other people, if you just focus on yourself you'll be alright."

Later on Tuesday night, Lee, a native of St. Paul, Minn, tweeted that she has “never been prouder to be apart of such an amazing team with an amazing group of girls.”

She added: “We stepped up when we needed to and did this for ourselves. we do not owe anyone a gold medal, we are WINNERS in our hearts.”

Tokyo Olympics: Suni Lee joins Simone Biles in gymnastic's all-around competition

Suni Lee on the uneven bars in Tokyo.

The first Hmong American Olympian qualified for the individual all-around competition in women's gymnastics at the Tokyo Olympics.

Sunisa Lee, of St. Paul, Minnesota was among the bright spots for the U.S. at the Olympics gymnastics arena in Tokyo. She will be joining Simone Biles, the world's No. 1 gymnast and compete in all five events for the crown of best gymnast.

After Biles, it was a battle between Lee and Jade Carey to determine who would join Biles in the all-around. Each nation can only enter two women. It wasn't decided until the balance beam, the final event when Lee scored higher than Carey.

The U.S. women were not at their best in the team qualifying round. Superstar Biles, especially, was not her usual other worldly self, particularly in her landings in the vault, balance beam and uneven bars where she had to take extra steps. 

As a result, the Russian women scored higher than the Americans, who up until yesterday were considered a lock for th gold medal.

Sunday's qualifying scores do not carry over to Tuesday when the team scores will count and the women's team was subdued coming off the floor. 

"Obviously, there are little things we need to work on,'' Biles said. "We'll go back and practice and work on that, so we can do our best performance at team finals. That's what matters.''

Lee said the competition was "most nerve-wracking" that she's been in. Nerves may have been part of the reason the U.S. did not perform up to their own standards. The other reason was that the Americans held back some of their best routines while the Russians upped their game.

Lee also qualified for the balance beam and uneven bars event finals.

Lee is the first Hmong American to represent the U.S. in the Olympics. It "means a lot to the Hmong community ... and to just be an inspiration to other Hmong people (means) a lot to me too," she stold the Sahan Journal.

SCREEN CAPTURE / NBC

Suni Lee's family cheered her performance from their home in St. Paul, Minn.

Asian American gymnasts in the running for the U.S. Women's Olympic team

Emma Matabuyo surprised at the U.S. Championships.

Two Asian Americans are among the gymnasts who might make the U.S. Women's Gymnastics Olympic Team.

There's Simon Biles' then, everybody else on the U.S. Women's Gymnastic Team that will compete in the Olympics this summer.

Biles, who does feats no one else can do on the competitive floor, is in a category all by herself, placing first in the U.S. Championships held last weekend.

While the Olympic team won't be announced until after the Olympic Trials being held June 24-27 in St. Louis, Missouri, barring injury, BIles is essentially a lock for the Tokyo Olympics.

In addition to winning a record-breaking seventh all-around national title at the 2021 U.S. Championships, Biles also extended her undefeated streak: she has won every all-around competition she’s entered since March 2013.

The remaining question is who will be joining her on the four-member Olympic team. 

Coming in the Championships' scoring is Suni Lee, which gives her a strong bet for the team. Lee was the only athlete not named “Simone Biles” to claim a national title at U.S. Championships. She posted the highest score on uneven bars and also finished second in the all-around, a particularly impressive achievement given that the 18-year-old Hmong American is currently coming back from a foot/Achilles injury.

“I think this is a really good confidence booster because I wasn’t even at my full potential on floor, and obviously my vault could have been a little better and today my bars was a little rough,” Lee said. “It definitely helps my confidence because I know I don’t have to be 100 percent to be in the top with Simone, so I’m really proud of myself.”

Jordan Chiles, who appears to be peaking at just the right time, rounds out the top three.

Filipino American gymnast Emma Malabuyo from Texas finished a surprising fourth. 

“Clearly Emma Malabuyo was super impressive,” high-performance team coordinator Tom Forster noted. “She came out of a very, very low position at the U.S. Classic, and it’s great to see her back in her international form that she was in a couple years ago since she’s wrestled with a couple injuries here and there. … There were a couple of surprises today but I’d say she was the best surprise that we weren’t expecting.”

In the top five is 18-year old Leanne Wong of Kansas. The University of Florida-bound gymnast's strongest event was her floor routine.

Besides Biles and Lee, the scores at the Championships or the trials won't necessarily provide a a cleaerfut choice for the team. The complicated selection process is mystifying for anyone outside of the world of gymnastics.

“The gymnast does not have to be an all-arounder,” Forster said of the additional, individual athlete. “Our goal is to provide our athletes with the most opportunities to win medals for themselves and for Team USA. We believe that we’re going to have our strongest all-arounders on the team. … Whoever is really stepping up and showing the best potential for winning a medal or medals will earn that [individual] spot.”