Suni Lee didn't think she would win it all.Lee was accompanied by her U.S. team and her family at a watch party in St. Paul, Minnesota. She became the fifth consecutive American woman to win the Olympic all-around gold.The results were announced and the gymnast who was introduced to the wider sports world at the Tokyo Olympics this Week as the calm, stoic rock of Team USA, let out a few tears when she saw the results.Lee stated that the waiting game was something she hated so much. However, when Lee saw her score, it was so moving. It doesn't feel real life.Lee is the first Hmong American athlete to compete in the Olympics. She is also the first Olympic gold medalist for the group. It was a long and difficult road. Lee is also the first Asian woman to win Olympic gold in all-around.Yeev Thoj, Suni Lee's parents are pictured in the middle, at a watch party on Thursday with Lee's friends. Stephen Maturen/Getty ImagesLee stated, "My community was so amazing." They all watched me win the gold medal and were there to support me. Many Hmong people don't achieve their goals. I want them all to know that you can reach your goals and never give up. You will never know.Lee was like many athletes who struggled to cope with the Games being postponed. Lee was unsure if she would be able to regain her skills or if it would take her another year to get back to the point she'd been striving for all her life. She suffered from depression. She informed her parents that she was done with the sport.She broke her left leg in training and returned to Little Canada, Minnesota in June 2020. This setback delayed her return, and still causes her pain. Instead of performing four passes during Tuesday's team final, she chose to perform only three floor moves Thursday.As her father John continued to recover from his 2019 fall from a ladder which left him paralysed below his chest, Lee and her family dealt with the death of her aunt, COVID-19. In the wake of George Floyd's death, her city was rocked by protests. John describes that as "the most difficult time" for his family.Lee was able to refocus on her goal of being an Olympic athlete with the help of her coaches and her large, close-knit family. Lee was inspired by her dad's positive attitude and determination as she watched him struggle to regain independence. Lee's pre-meet talks were a great way to calm her nerves. His dad jokes helped her get out of her own head.Lee was second to Simone Biles at the three largest meets of the season when she returned to competition earlier in the year. Lee was the first gymnast to achieve this feat in eight years, and she earned a higher all-around score on the second day of U.S. trials.Lee stated that knowing she could beat Biles gave her confidence but didn't affect her goals for Tokyo. Biles has won every Olympic, national, world, and international meet she entered since 2013. The Olympic all-around title in Time of Biles was not something that any gymnast would consider a serious goal. Lee stated Thursday that he was going to compete for a medal.Suni Lee was part of the U.S. team that won the silver medal Tuesday. She now holds an Olympic gold. Laurence Griffiths/Getty ImagesBiles pulled out of Tuesday's team competition following one rotation. She said she needed to take care of her mental health. The U.S. won a silver medal without their star. Lee took over for Biles on the floor and completed all four of her routines. The highest score at the meet was her uneven bars score.On Wednesday, the Olympic gold medalist announced that she would be withdrawing from all-around. Then, suddenly, all-around gold was up in grabs for the first time since almost a decade. Lee stated, "I had no choice but to change gears." Lee said, "We all came in to compete for second and the whole season, I've been second [to Biles]. It was very stressful. Many people were counting on me to win the gold medal or get second. But I tried to not focus on it because I would have been too nervous.Lee's ability, regardless of how the world is going, to remain focused and stay focused even when things aren't going according to plan, earned her gold medal on Thursday. Lee's bar routine, which has a high start value, was not flawless, but she corrected quickly, made connections, and again outscored all other gymnasts at the meet. She made an incredible save on beam when her foot almost missed the beam during a triple-wolf turn.Lee was only one-tenth ahead of Brazilian Rebeca Andrade as she entered the final rotation on the floor. Lee, who was surrounded by her competitors, stood waiting for them to come to the floor. She looked casual but impatient and waved to those in the stands. Her demeanor was more waiting-in-line-for-ice-cream than one-rotation-from-Olympic-all-around-gold.After a strong performance, Angelina Melnikova, Russian Olympic Committee, jumped to first place on the floor. Lee responded and returned to the top with Andrade and American Jade Carey. Carey replaced Biles at the meet.Andrade, one of the most charismatic and dynamic floor workers in the world, will be competing for the gold medal. She was able to rebound from her first miss and she stepped out again on her third. Lee was not impressed by her score. Andrade was the first Latin American gymnast ever to win an all-around medal with silver. Melnikova took bronze.The three medalists were separated by just three-tenths (or three-tenths) of a point.Lee FaceTimed her family before the medal ceremony. They were more than 100 strong and gathered at an event center to see the meet. "I did it!" Lee claimed that she shouted into her phone. "And then, we all started to cry. It was an incredible moment.Play 0:22 U.S. Olympic Gymnast Sunisa Lee backflips at age 8 with her father. One of the Lee families' favorite home videos features the future Olympic gymnast backflipping with her father on a Florida Beach.Lee shared a dream that she and her father had longed for for many years. John and Lee's entire family were there in Tokyo during that dream. Lee stated, "We had always discussed this." Lee said that he would do a backflip together with me if I won the gold medal. They did it together before John's accident, when they were traveling for their meets. Suni and John do backflips from a lounge chair on a Florida beach when Suni was 8.Lee stated, "It's so tragic he couldn't have been here," Lee said, "But he was almost here. This is our dream."
