Sunisa Lee’s family may have been cheering her on from a distance — but that didn’t stop them fromcelebrating her gold medal win.
The Team USA gymnastwon the women’s gymnastics individual all-aroundon Thursday, and nobody was as excited as her family.
While watching together at home, NBC cameras captured the moment when Lee’s family — including her father, who has been one of her biggest supporters -— realized that the gymnast would have enough points to land her on top of the leaderboard.
Immediately, the entire roomerupted in celebration, as her loved ones began jumping up and down and screaming.
“The people i do it all for,” Leewroteon Twitter in response to the heartwarming clip. “I LOVE YOU ALL.”
After her competition, Lee opened up about her “amazing” family.
“My parents are just the most amazing people in my life, I love them so much,” she told reporters. “Before the medal ceremony I FaceTimed them and I talked to them.We were all just crying on the phone.”
Sunisa Lee and family.Stephen Maturen/Getty; LIONEL BONAVENTURE/AFP via Getty
Once the reality of her gold medal win had a chance to start to sink in, the athlete also shared a sweet message on social media, thanking “everyone who has believed in me and never gave up.”
‘I can’t thank you enough for all the love and support," she wrote. “This is a dream come true. WE DID IT.”
Sunisa Lee’s family.Stephen Maturen/Getty
Throughout her Olympic experience, Lee’s father has also made clear that hecouldn’t be prouderof his daughter and everything she has accomplished.
John, who fell off a ladder in August 2019 and was paralyzed from the chest down, has been an integral part of Suni’s life and career. He met Suni’s mom, Yeev, when the gymnast was 2 years old after he was divorced with two kids, Jonah and Shyenne, according toESPN, which also reported that it was Suni’s decision to change her last name to Lee though John and Yeev are not legally married.
Explaining why being an Olympian means “the world for me,” Leetold PEOPLEin June, “I want to do it for my family and coaches obviously, but I also want to do it for myself. I’ve just been through so much.”
To learn more about Team USA, visitTeamUSA.org. Watch the Tokyo Olympics now on NBC.
source: people.com
