Olympian Sunisa Lee: Making History as the First Hmong American Competitor

Olympian Sunisa Lee at the FIG Artistic Gymnastics World Championships on Oct. 13, 2019 in Stuttgart, Germany. PHOTO CREDIT: Getty Images

Sunisa Lee carries the weight of a historic event as she heads to Tokyo to participate in the 2021 Olympics for the United States women’s gymnastic team. At only 18 years old, Sunisa is the first Hmong American Olympic gymnast. The Hmong people are a Chinese ethnic group of millions of people mainly spread across southern China, Vietnam, Laos, Thailand, and Myanmar. Many Hmong-Americans have tuned in to track Sunisa’s successes during the Olympics.

Sunisa Lee with her father, John, who was paralyzed from the chest down in 2019

Sunisa began her athletic career as a young girl, starting by flipping onto a mattress in her backyard and eventually making the US junior national team in 2016. She went on to win a gold medal at the 2018 national championships. In addition to her successes, Sunisa is most notable for her perseverance through struggle. Though her father became paralyzed from the chest down in 2019, Sunisa found the courage, with her dad’s encouragement, to go forward with competing in the 2019 National Championship, where she won silver for the all-around competition. Furthermore, Sunisa’s 2020 quarantine was accompanied by a wounded ankle, leaving her unable to practice. She also lost her aunt and uncle to the COVID-19 virus. But, during the 2021 Olympic game qualifiers, her resilience and hard work came to light as she beat decorated Olympian Simone Biles in one section of the competition. With her win, Sunisa will be competing alongside Simone on the US team in Tokyo.

The pride for Sunisa’s accomplishments is felt by many—her coaches, family, and the Hmong community at large. Sunisa has remarked how being an inspiration to such a vast group of people means a great deal to her. Her Olympian title is a homage not only to her dreams but to those of the Hmong people as well.