Everything U.S. Gymnast Suni Lee Has Said About Her Family

When it comes to American gymnasts, we're often so focused on Simone Biles' tragic true story and incredible skill that other athletes on the Team USA squad don't become as prominent. However, in recent years, there is one name that is becoming more and more recognizable: Suni Lee. Lee has had quite the career, participating in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics and scooping a gold, silver, and bronze for her efforts. It was the same year that Simone Biles shocked fans by pulling out of the women's all-around final, leaving the path clear for Lee to take the top spot.

While Biles may have had a tough year, Lee was recovering from truly tragic family events. Her father, John Lee, arguably her biggest supporter, fell while cutting a tree in 2019 and broke his spine, permanently paralyzing him. Lee has always been vocal about how much her family has impacted her journey to athletic superstardom, but what exactly has she said about them over the years? 

Let's break down everything Lee has publicly said about her nearest and dearest over the years, from dedicating medals to them, defying their orders, and even turning her onto gymnastics for a surprising reason. 

The games are so prestigious that there are even royals who competed in the Olympics, but back when Suni Lee's mother put her into gymnastics class, it's unlikely she thought her daughter would do it, too. In fact, Lee wasn't put into the class because she displayed a natural talent for the sport but because she simply annoyed her mother too much by jumping from pillar to post all the time. 

"I was always jumping on the bed or having my dad spot me while I was doing backflips and stuff like that," the world-famous gymnast told TwinCities, via CNN. "Finally, my mom got tired of it." Lee's mother, Yeev Thoj, took her daughter to a gymnastics class and the rest is history. Both of her parents became so dedicated to helping Lee get the most out of her ability that her father, John Lee, even built her a balance beam, as he couldn't afford to buy her one. 

Speaking with Today in 2021, he said, "She goes to the gym and she practices but we don't have a beam here. So I couldn't afford a real beam, so I built her one." The touching gesture proved to be an investment in Lee's future, helping her go on to be one of the best elite gymnasts the world has ever seen.

One of the most tragic details about Suni Lee and her life is her father's catastrophic accident in 2019. What should've been a routine tree trim turned into a world-changing event for the Lee family. What's more, Suni was preparing to compete in her first national championships in Kansas City and almost didn't go because of the accident. John Lee explained to CBS Minnesota, "She almost didn't go because I was in surgery. [She] and her coach came over and I woke up and said, 'You worked so hard for it, just go.'" 

His encouragement worked, and Lee went on to win three medals. Her performance there and at the World Championships secured her a spot on the Olympic team at Tokyo 2020 — and changed the trajectory of her career forever. After Simone Biles pulled out of the all-round at the event, Lee took home the gold medal and sweetly dedicated the award to her father. 

After she won, she spoke with Today to heap praise on her dad. "My dad means so much to me. I love him so much. I wish he could be here and cherish this moment with me ... He sacrificed everything to put me in gymnastics. Both my parents really have." Sadly, because of the pandemic, Lee's family wasn't able to see her greatest achievement in person, but it didn't stop them from celebrating at home. 

Considering just how far she's come in her athletic career, it can be easy to forget that Suni Lee was just 18 years old when she competed at Tokyo 2020. That's a pivotal point in most young people's lives as they say goodbye to high school and move on to college. Lee, despite being an Olympic gold medalist, still had this transition to go through. Although her parents made it clear they wanted her to stay at home with them, Lee told The New York Times that she wanted to go to college at Auburn University. "For so many different reasons since Tokyo, I had to really grow up, and fast," she admitted. 

Her mother, Yeev Thoj, said the expectation that Lee would stay at home was largely cultural. "In the Hmong community, we'd rather have them stay home with us so we can kind of monitor them," she explained, going on to admit that this generation is different from the one she grew up in. As for Lee, her decision was relatively easy. 

She felt as though she just had to cut the cord and do something for herself, and she seized the opportunity with both hands. When she wasn't studying at university, she was busy appearing on programs like "Dancing with the Stars" and living it up with her friends.

Though we often hear from her parents, we don't hear much from Suni Lee's siblings. She has two sisters and a brother, but they tend to fly under the radar when it comes to talking about their Olympic medalist sister. However, every now and then, we're given a little sneak peek into the Lee family life. Back in 2021, after scooping three medals in the games, Lee shared a photograph of herself posing with her parents and siblings. She holds the bronze medal around her neck, lifting it to the camera, while her mom carries silver and her father carries gold. She captioned the wholesome Instagram post with a single heart emoji. It must have been a huge moment for the family, who had been working toward Lee's success for many years by that point. 

Suni's parents, John Lee and Yeev Thoj, watched their daughter compete at a local event center alongside 200 other people and their other children. After she scooped the gold, Suni called her sister, Shyenne Lee, who gushed to MPR, "I'm just so proud of her. I know how hard she works. I wish I can give her a big hug right now. I've been texting her all day today." 

As for her father, John told the radio station, "I never expected this, but she did it. Thirteen years of hard work, and she did it."

Suni Lee has spoken candidly about the impact her father's accident had on her in the past, especially in the early days. Speaking to The New York Times in 2020, Lee recalled how difficult it was for her to process. A Snapchat memory reminded her that it was one year since her father's accident, expressing that while it didn't make her cry, it made her realize how lucky she is to still have him. "I thought he was going to pass away when he was in the hospital, so I didn't want to go to nationals and compete," she explained, crediting her father's encouragement with getting her to Olympic level.

Lee also told the publication that she texted her father on the anniversary of his fall to tell him how proud she was of him. "[I said] 'Dad, I'm so proud of how far you've come and that you've come back so strong.' He is still in a wheelchair, but he can use his hands and he is getting better every day." While reports suggest that John Lee won't ever regain full movement, his daughter is set on achieving everything she can for the both of them. 

The Lee family could never have expected this tragic turn of events, but their dedication, optimism, and refusal to let health struggles keep them down is a testament to their strong DNA.