21-year-old American Hmong gymnast wins bronze at Olympics despite participating while ill.

At the 2024 Paris Olympics, all eyes are on 21-year-old Sunisa Lee, the American gymnastics beauty and reigning Olympic all-around gold medalist, as she is one of the favorites to win gold. Born in the United States to Hmong immigrant parents, Lee, affectionately known as “Suni,” has not only become a two-time Olympic gold medalist but also clinched the bronze in the individual all-around competition on Thursday, August 1. It’s hard to believe that just before this success, she almost left the sport permanently due to a kidney disease.

Lee attributes her rise to the pinnacle of the world stage to her parents and the support of her five siblings. With Hmong ancestry, her parents immigrated to the United States from Laos.

Before becoming a two-time Olympic gold medalist, Lee honed her gymnastics skills at home in St. Paul, Minnesota. Her father, John Lee, constructed a wooden beam for her to practice back handsprings and more.

On Tuesday, July 30, Lee and the U.S. team secured the gold medal in the women’s gymnastics team final at the 2024 Paris Olympics. Every time she competes, her family watches her performances with unwavering support and cheers, including her father who is now wheelchair-bound due to a spinal cord injury suffered from a fall while trimming a neighbor’s tree in August 2019.

Lee credits her ability to return to the competition to her teammates, including the renowned “Black Pearl,” Simone Biles.

After skyrocketing to fame with an all-around gold medal at the 2021 Tokyo Olympics, Lee faced setbacks due to an incurable kidney disease that forced her to halt her gymnastics career.

She contemplated giving up at one point, saying, “I was just really sick,” but with the encouragement of teammates like Simone Biles, she found the strength to bounce back.

In an interview with People magazine, Lee revealed that she experienced significant weight gain due to ongoing swelling in her body. She struggled to grip the uneven bars and perform normal skills.

After a series of tests and kidney biopsies, Lee was diagnosed with a kidney disease, leading her to end her gymnastics career at Auburn University in April of the previous year.

In September, she had to forgo participation in the World Championships due to challenges in medication treatment. However, she now manages her condition with medication, allowing her to continue pursuing her passion for gymnastics.

Lee expressed optimism about her future, stating, “I decided to come back because I’m only going to get better, and I love gymnastics.”

In a remarkable comeback, Lee won the bronze in the women’s all-around final on Thursday, while Biles, who inspired her to push through adversity, once again claimed the gold, becoming the most decorated gymnast in American gymnastics history.

Apart from the individual all-around, Lee also secured spots in the balance beam and uneven bars finals at the current Olympics.