Just a few years in the past, the dad of Suni Lee was in a horrible accident that left him paralyzed.
Suni Lee is among the Group USA gymnasts competing within the 2024 Paris Olympics.
Memorably, she took dwelling the Gold within the Tokyo Olympics. Whereas she’s neither the youngest nor the most well-known athlete representing America in France, many eyes are on her.
Her household, together with her father, are cheering her on. However what accident befell her father?
A supportive household helped Suni Lee turn out to be an Olympic athlete
Suni Lee is a Group USA gymnast from Minnesota. Now 21 years previous, she is a school scholar.
Born Sunisa Phabsomphou, Suni is the primary American of Hmong descent to compete within the Olympics. Her mother and father immigrated to the US from Laos.
When Suni was solely two years previous, her mom, Yeev, met John Lee. John was on the time lately divorced and had two kids of his personal.
Suni considers John to be her father, even altering her final identify to match his, although he and Yeev by no means married.
After the Tokyo Olympics, the immensely proud John Lee informed the At this time Present that he had constructed a picket stability beam within the yard for Suni to make use of for follow.
“She goes to the gym and she practices but we don’t have a beam here,” he defined. “So, I couldn’t afford a real beam, so I built her one.”
This was when she was youthful. Nonetheless, her father defined: “The beam is still there.”
Each Suni Lee and pop John Lee recovered from accidents that left hem injured
Suni Lee’s 2021 gold medal got here solely after years of labor and restoration. She had suffered a leg and foot harm that took her out of motion for 2 months.
In 2019, dad John Lee suffered a catastrophic — and fewer uncommon — harm with dire outcomes.
He had fallen off of a ladder. The ensuing accidents brought on paralysis from the chest down. That may be a life-altering disaster.
John Lee’s grievous fall occurred simply earlier than Suni competed in Kansas Metropolis for the nationwide championships.
Suni was contemplating dropping out, feeling involved for her injured dad after his accident. Nonetheless, he inspired her to go.
She did, and she or he positioned second solely to the legendary Simone Biles. When Suni received gold on the uneven bars on the 2019 US Championships (coping with her personal harm, no much less), she devoted that triumph to her dad.
Although John Lee’s injurious fall was horrible, he survived to cheer on his daughter via the 2021 Olympics. And, now for the 2024 Olympics.
Suni Lee is aware of that her dad didn’t let his accident trigger his assist for her to waver.
Her entire household is beaming with pleasure as she competes in Paris. And so is all of America.
