Suni Lee is the latest in USA Gymnastics’ production line of Olympic champions.
The U.S. gymnast won the gold medal in the women’s gymnastics all-around competition at the Tokyo Olympics on Thursday. Lee posted a final-round score of 57.433, beating Brazil’s Rebeca Andrade, who won the silver medal with a score of 57.298 and the Russian Olympic Committee’s Angelina Melnikovas, who claimed the bronze with a 57.199 score. Lee is the fifth consecutive American woman to win the sport’s most prestigious title, following Simone Biles, Gabby Douglas, Nastia Liukin and Carly Patterson.
Lee, 18, hails from the Saint Paul, Minn., area. KARE’s Gia Vang shared a video on Twitter, in which you can see Lee’s parents, family, friends and supporters celebrating her Olympic triumph.
Biles entered the Tokyo Games as the favorite to defend the Olympic all-around title she won in 2016, but withdrew from the gymnastics team final and the individual all-arounds this week, citing a desire to protect her mental health.
Her departure opened the championship door to the field, and Lee has bested them all.
