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.

Young Hmong American gymnast shines at World's championship

USA GYMNASTICS

Sunisa Lee, left, and  Simone Biles helped lead the US to the team title at World's Gymnastic Championship.

ASAM NEWS

Sunisa Lee said she couldn’t help but think of her father as she stood on the gold medal podium with Team USA at the World Gymnastics Championship in Stuttgart, Germany.

It was just in August when her father fell off a ladder while trying to help a friend. Her father, a Persian Gulf War veteran, suffered a spinal cord injury and is now paralyzed.

“I was thinking of my dad the whole time,” the 16 year old said to NBC Sports, “and to do it for him because I knew that he would be so proud.”

“I FaceTimed him last night and he’s telling me that he’s super excited and proud, and he even woke up super early this morning just to watch,” she said Tuesday to the Star Tribune.

Her father John said “it’s amazing” to see his daughter and teammates doing so well.

Simone Biles, the star of the US team and at age 22, the oldest, took time to single out the Hmong American from St. Paul, Minnesota.

“What’s impressed me the most, I think, has been Suni. She’s only 16 years old. She’s been through a long year, and to come out and put up the three events and the scores she did is pretty crazy.”

Biles record setting performance helped the US women's gymnastics team to win the title. This is their record-tying fifth consecutive World team title, and it's also their seventh win of all time. 

Sunisa told reporters, "I feel amazing. It's so crazy to be a world champion, and I'm so excited." 

In the individual all-around competition, Lee finished eighth in the women's all-around competition in Stuttgart, Germany, after an early miscue  hurt her score in her signature event, on the uneven bars. Meanwhile, her teammate Biles continued her extraordinary run by finishing first in the all-around

"I feel like I kind of let the nerves get to me a little bit, but it's all part of the learning experience," Lee said to reporters in Germany after the meet. "There's going to be a lot more meets to come before the Olympics, so hopefully I can kind of get myself back together for that."

Views From the Edge contributed to this report.

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Three Asian American gymnasts finish among the top five at US championships

USA GYMNASTICS

Sunisa Lee is one of three Asian Americans who are vying for the 2020 US Women's Gymnastics Team.

ASAM NEWS contributed to this report.

If the US women's Olympic gymnastics team was to be chosen right now, three of the top five would be Asian Americans.

The top five all-around women based on their performances on the four catagories: floor exercise, vault, uneven bars, balance beam; 2016 Olympic champion Simone Biles would lead all competitors. However, rounding out the top five would be three Asian American gymnasts Sunisa Lee, Morgan Hurd and Leanne Wong. Grace McCallum joins the top five all-around.

However, the competitors still have to perform at the US Olympic Trials next June in St. Louis before the final selection. 

Like the men’s team, the five-member Olympic women’s team is selected by  by committee. The committee weighed the performance of each gymnast at nationals and Olympic Trials, her strengths on each apparatus, and her past experience.

Senior Women All-around

1. Simone Biles –118.500
2. Sunisa Lee — 113.550
3. Grace McCallum — 111.850
4. Morgan Hurd — 111.700
5. Leanne Wong — 111.250

Sunisa Lee of Minnesota surprised herself by coming in second in the all-around, behind Biles dominating performance.

The 16-year-old placed second at the US Gymnastics Championships in Kansas City, MO. this weekend, behind first place finisher Simone Biles, who sealed her position by doing the first-ever, astounding triple double during her floor exercise.

Lee is the first Hmong American to make Team USA in gymnastics and could become the first Hmong American to make the Olympic team in 2020 in Tokyo.

“It’s crazy. I never thought that I could be that good,” Lee admitted to Team USA.org. “So when I saw that (finishing 2nd), I was just shocked and I didn’t know what to do. My coach, he always says, yeah, you can be second, but I never believe him. I guess he’s right this time.”

“She moves so fluidly – sequential movement for her is so beautiful,” team coordinator Tom Forster said . “She’s a really beautiful gymnast.”

According to Team USA, Lee began in the sport at age 6 and had Olympic aspirations once she made an elite program in her pre-teen years.

This was her first time ever competing in Nationals and the 2020 Olympics is within her reach.

“It adds a lot of pressure,” Lee said on realizing how capable she is of making it to an Olympic Games. “It’s really nerve-wracking; I try not to think about it a lot just because it gets me going a little bit, but it’s always in the back of your head.”

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