St. Paul, Minn.– July 30 was proclaimed as Sunisa Lee Day in the State of Minnesota to celebrate Team USA's Sunisa (Suni) Lee winning Olympic gold on July 29 in the 2021 Tokyo Olympics gymnastics individual all-around competition. 18-year-old Lee, from the east side of Saint Paul, is the first Hmong-American to compete in the Olympics. In addition to her gold medal, Lee will also bring home silver in the gymnastics team all-around competition, and bronze in the uneven bars.
Representative Jay Xiong (DFL-St. Paul) applauded the recognition of Ms. Lee and released the following statement:
“Sunisa ‘Suni’ Lee’s entry into the history books is confirmed as she became the first Asian American woman to win gold in the Olympics’ all-around competition. She is the first Hmong American Olympian and gold medalist. And to top that off, her feats are amazing because we get to call her one of our own. She is a proud eastsider from Saint Paul, my home district. I can't be prouder than to know that one of two women from Minnesota to represent the United States in gymnastics in Tokyo is from right here in our capital city. Minnesotans have always had a strong showing for our great country on the world stage at the highest levels of athletic competition. I shed some tears of joy knowing that in a mere 40 years, our Hmong American community in Minnesota has produced the very best athlete to represent America in women's gymnastics! Congratulations to Sunisa and her family!”
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