US gymnast Suni Lee wins the gold—and her parents’ reaction is EVERYTHING
Watch the moment her mom and dad realize their baby girl won the gold and try not to cry. We dare you.
Watching our children accomplish anything they set their minds to is one of the highest honors of being a parent. Truly. No matter the task or goal, when our kids excel at something, it’s the best feeling in the whole world. No one knows this better than Suni Lee’s parents right now, after their little girl won the gold for the US women’s gymnastics team today.
After scoring a 57.433, Lee won the women’s all-around title in Tokyo today, with Brazil and Russia snagging silver and gold. Simone Biles, who withdrew from the competition for mental health reasons, was cheering her on from the stands.
All in all, it was an amazing moment.
The moment Suni Lee learned she’d won Olympic gold ❤️ https://t.co/U0lvpblPm0
— ESPN (@espn)
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Lee hasn’t had an easy go of it during the past few years despite her success as an athlete. In 2019, she won gold on uneven bars at the US Championships not long after a devastating accident left her father paralyzed from the chest down. Last year, she tragically lost her aunt and uncle to Covid-19. Lee, who is only 18, has also endured several injuries recently—including a broken bone in her foot and an Achilles tendon tear.
But when she won the gold at the Tokyo Olympics today, it’s Lee’s parents and their reaction to Suni’s achievement that stole the show.
She did it. @sunisalee_ is the queen of the women’s gymnastics all-around finals and her parents. OMG. Tears ever… https://t.co/xvkpTJUQ0V
— Gia Vang (@Gia_Vang)
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You could light up all of New York City with the joy that just radiates from her mom and dad, and the rest of Suni’s ecstatically proud family. It’s one of those things that warm your right down to your bones and makes you reach for the nearest tissue, isn’t it? It’s just amazing.
Lee tells the Washington Post that she wanted to win for her dad because “this is our dream.” (BRB, sobbing.) “My parents are just the most amazing people in my life,” she said.
Her family was watching her along with a crowd of family and fellow supporters at a community center near their home in St. Paul, Minnesota. Her gold medal win also makes her the first Hmong American to make the U.S. Olympic team. She told the Post that she hopes her victory inspires the Hmong community.
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“I want people to know that you can reach your dreams,” Lee said, holding up her gold medal. She said it’s common for people in the Hmong community to feel limited in what they can accomplish, “but I feel like I proved that when you do put your heart into it, you can do something great with it.”
What a beautiful moment and genuine inspiration. Congratulations, Suni Lee!
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