Sunisa LeeSunisa Lee, USA reacts to competing in the uneven bars competition of the artistic gymnastics women’s team final at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games. It was held at the Ariake Gymnastics Centre Tokyo on July 27, 2021. Credit: Loic VenanceAFP/Getty ImagesSunisa Suni Lee, a popular Hmong-language news show in the Twin Cities, appeared on 3 Hmong TV on March 16, 2019, just a day before she turned 16.The newscaster asked her, "Do you think you have the potential to make it to the Olympics?"Yes, I believe. Lee replies that she isn't sure. Her father interrupts. The important thing is that her potential is as great as any other member of the team.Suni Lee, now a unique talent in the world gymnastic, is two years later. She has the potential to be both the hope of the United States as well as a community that may not have felt part of it.Lee is one of six U.S. gymnasts who represented the country in Tokyo. She also became the first Hmong-American competitor for Team USA. She reached the finals of the uneven bars, all-around and beam events. There she will compete for medals on Aug. 1, Aug. 1, and July 29. Lee is expected to win an individual gold medal on bars with a routine that showcases her incredible skills. She earned a score of 15.4 in Tokyo earlier and was able to lead Team USA to silver by performing a floor routine that she had not expected to be included when Simone Biles quit the competition.Sunisa Lee, USA reacts to competing in the uneven bars competition of the artistic gymnastics women’s team final at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games at Ariake Gymnastics Centre Tokyo on July 27, 2021. Loic VenanceAFP/Getty ImagesA legacy of resilienceLee hails from St. Paul in Minnesota, where many Hmong families, like her own, settled after the Vietnam War. The CIA recruited the Hmong ethnic group from Laos, China, and Vietnam to fight in a secret military operation in Laos. This operation is now known as Secret War. After that, the Hmong population was abandoned after the withdrawal of American troops from Vietnam. Many Hmong families fled to Thailand after being denied asylum in the U.S., unlike the Vietnamese and Cambodians. Hmong refugees began to move to the U.S. in the late 1970s with many communities in Minnesota, California, and Wisconsin.Continue the storyThe Twin Cities, four decades after the Hmong fled persecution, has been the most important urban center for Hmong life. Even so, almost 60% of Hmong Americans live in poverty and 25% are low-income. Many are proud to be the first generation Hmong-Americans to have been born in the United States. Lee is the most prominent athlete and, arguably, due to Olympic gymnastics, the greatest star.It is difficult to pinpoint when Suni Lee became a household word in the diaspora. It could have been in 2019, when she finished second at the US Nationals, just behind Biles. Or it might have been later that year, when she won her first three world championship medals. It doesn't matter what, her name is unifying in her community.Phillipe Thao met Sunisa Lee for the first time at the Twin Cities Hmong Year in 2019. Courtesy PhotoPhillipe Thao says that when people from different generations, who don't necessarily pay much attention to pop culture or sports, start talking about it, it can be a huge deal. She first met Lee in 2019 at the Twin Cities Hmong New Year. I can still remember standing in a long line and wondering what was it for. Everyone was eager to take a picture with Suni and to donate money to her family.Everyone knows Suni, according to Koua Yang (the Athletic Director at Como High School, St. Paul), who immigrated to America in 1980 with one of the first waves Hmong refugees arrived in the U.S. As a community and as an ethnic group, we get to celebrate.Failure is costlyYang says it is amazing to see such a large investment in young women. I have coached Hmong women many times and had to beg their families to allow them to play. It is amazing for an athlete like Suni and her families to overcome that.For Patsy Thayieng who is a recent college graduate but a former gymnast, this feeling is especially evident. This is an expensive sport that can be difficult to access, especially in communities like ours, she says.Gymnastics is more expensive than other sports. Parents can't afford to buy vaults or uneven bars for their backyard like they can a soccerball. John Lee did make a balance beam for his daughter when she was younger. The costs of travel, uniforms and club memberships can rise as an athlete becomes more competitive. These expenses often amount to thousands of dollars per year. It is often impossible to afford for first-generation refugees and their children.This is half of the reason I feel so emotional. It is beautiful to see her dance routines. It breaks my heart to think about how hard her family worked to get her to the Olympics.With the support of her communityLike many immigrants, Western ideas of individualism can clash with Hmong values: family and community. This urge to support each other in times of tragedy and celebration is what makes Hmong people so unique. These values are what made Lee's story so familiar. Televised glimpses of her family at competitions remind us of Hmong scenes: younger siblings staring at YouTube videos, their hands full of food, and a parent taking a picture of a beautiful moment on camera. Now that she is in Tokyo, all the cheers from her home country ring even louder.There are limits to visibility and success can feel incremental. However, the ripple effects of Hmong Olympians are already beginning to emerge. Gaomong Xiong is Thayieng's younger sister and is a member of her school's gymnastics team.It is incredible to see Simone Biles, Sunisa and Team USA. Sunisa Lee was the only representative. It's different because she is Hmong like me. Like me, she is from St. Paul. This gives me hope for future generations.Now, the dreams of an Olympic stage seem impossible. Even younger than Xiong, they can still be optimistic. Emma Nguyen (7 years old), Mor Chia Hers' daughter, has been participating in gymnastics since she turned three years.Emma Nguyen poses with Sunisa Lee, who has been practicing gymnastics since she was three years old. Courtesy PhotoHer describes that we started following Sunisa's journey two years back. Suni is a great inspiration. My daughter is Hmong, and Vietnamese. She is excited to represent both ethnicities at the future Olympics.Lee's life was marked by major changes during her years in Tokyo. Her father's injury paralyzed Lee from the chest down just days before she left for US Nationals. The pandemic, delayed Olympic Games, and a broken ankle were all factors that impacted Lees life. She has persevered and soared through it all, showing the resilience the Hmong have shown throughout their history.Phillipe Thao says that while I understand she is doing this for her family, and for us, I also hope she is doing it for herself.The ancestors of our family who didn't make it across the Mekong River, and our grandparents and parents who struggled to make ends meets. I hope she doesn't see those legacies in a negative light, but as a bridge to the Olympic stage. Because the Hmong community will be there for her regardless.Learn more about the Tokyo Olympics
