Remember this name: Sunisa Lee.
The 16-year-old placed second at the US Gymnastics Championships in Kansas City, MO. this weekend, behind first place finisher Simone Biles.
Lee is the first Hmong American to make Team USA in gymnastics and could become the first Hmong American to make the Olympic team in 2020 in Tokyo.
“It’s crazy. I never thought that I could be that good,” Lee admitted to Team USA.org. “So when I saw that (finishing 2nd), I was just shocked and I didn’t know what to do. My coach, he always says, yeah, you can be second, but I never believe him. I guess he’s right this time.”
Check out some of the highlights below.
“She moves so fluidly – sequential movement for her is so beautiful,” team coordinator Tom Forster said . “She’s a really beautiful gymnast.”
According to Team USA, she began in the sport at age 6 and had Olympic aspirations once she made an elite program in her pre-teen years.
An ankle injury in March set her back, but she has proven capable of bouncing back.
This was her first time ever competing in Nationals.
“That kind of boosts my confidence a little bit because then I know I can compete with everybody else also trying for worlds,” she explained.
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