WINNER: 2020 T YPOGRAPHY & DESIGN, 1ST PLACE, PHOTOGRAPHY (PORTRAIT & PERSONALIT Y), 1ST PLACE, WEBSITE, 3RD PLACE
Insight News
August 9, 2021 - August 15, 2021
Vol. 48 No. 32• The Journal For Community News, Business & The Arts • insightnews.com
GOLD, BRONZE & SILVER MEDALS
SUNISA LEE Lee thanks supporters in Hmong; Community rallies behind her BY JAMES POLLARD NBC Sports August 3, 2021 Sunisa Lee had a brief message for her Hmong-speaking supporters at a Tuesday morning press conference.S Speaking Hmong, a reporter asked Lee, the first Asian American woman to win gold in the Olympics’ all-around competition, how she thought her victory would help the Asian and Hmong communities. “Do I say it in Hmong or in —,” Lee responded, before laughing. “I don’t think I can say it. You guys are going to laugh at me.” “Hello, my name is Sunisa Lee,” the gymnast then said in Hmong. “I just want to say thank you for all your support,” Lee continued in English. “I love you guys so much, see you soon.” In an interview last week with NBC’s “TODAY” show, Lee discussed the support she’s received from the Hmong community in Minnesota, who she said “sacrificed a lot” for her. The Olympic experience has “definitely been very emotional,” Lee also said Tuesday. “I call my parents, and I want to cry every time,” Lee told reporters. The three-time Olympic medalist — who won gold in the women’s all-around, silver in the team final, and bronze in the uneven bars — said her parents have stayed up to watch her competitions. Lee added she is “super appreciative” of everyone supporting her back home, because she wouldn’t have made it the Olympic stage without them. The 18-year-old from Minnesota added she never thought she’d represent the United States and the Hmong community in the Olympics. “I really want to be an inspiration to others and help others reach their dreams,” Lee said.
Courtesy of NBC Sports
WHILE SUNISA LEE WINS GOLD IN THE OLYMPICS, HER HOMETOWN CELEBRATES BACK IN MINNESOTA By Hibah Ansari Sahan Journal Courtesy Hmong Today Surrounded by nearly 300 supporters, Sunisa Lee’s parents joked that they would hold their breath Thursday during their daughter’s historymaking performance at the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo. At the end, a gold medal secured for the first Hmong American Olympic athlete, they finally exhaled— and let out a mighty cheer. Sunisa, 18, won the women’s gymnastics all-around event in a tense competition with athletes from Brazil and Russia. Along the way, she overcame the distraction of seeing her betterknown teammate, Simone Biles, pull out of the competition. “It doesn’t feel like real life,” Sunisa said in a TV interview after receiving her medal. Despite not being able to join Sunisa in Tokyo because of COVID-19 restrictions, her family celebrated her win with the local community. A crowd gathered at Brothers Event Center in Oakdale at 5:30 a.m. to support their hometown champion. Sunisa’s father, John Lee, told Sahan Journal he had been hosting watch parties with his family at their home in Saint Paul. Thursday morning, the Lee family opened up their watch party to the public. “I want to show Sunisa that everybody in Saint Paul and in the community is rooting for her. I hope that doesn’t put more pressure on her,” John said in an interview before the competition. Elle Lee, the owner of Brothers Event Center and wife of John’s relative, spent the night setting up the space, not expecting such a large
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Sunisa’s family waiting to chat with her live on the phone: Yeej Thoj (mom) and John Lee (dad) wait patiently to talk to Sunisa while her sister Chyenne is on the phone with the Olympic champ. turnout. Rows of chairs were set up in front of the livestream, which was being projected onto a large screen. The event started early, but on top of the large crowd that had already gathered before the competition, more people trickled in throughout the morning. In front of the first
row where Sunisa’s parents sat, a group of younger attendees sat on three straw mats laid out on the floor. Among them were Kate Malinowski, Darah Ostrom, and Ayden Her, who grew up training alongside Sunisa on a Level 4 team in Minnesota. “We just progressed through the levels together. She
obviously progressed much more than me,” Malinoski, 18, joked. “It’s amazing.” Ayden, 18, who is the daughter of Representative Kaohly Her (DFL–Saint Paul), remembered how hard Sunisa worked in the gym. She recalled feeling a similar excitement for Sunisa in their previous
competitions together. This time, a lot more people were watching. “The Hmong population is really small throughout the whole world, and to have this kind of representation for our people is a really big feat,” Ayden said. The three gymnasts were especially impressed by Sunisa’s vault performance. Sunisa is most known for her skills in the uneven bar event, but in the all-around competition she stood out in all four rotations: vault, uneven bar, beam, and floor. Sunisa had jumped to the lead by the third rotation, and after scoring a 13.7 in the floor exercise—in a sport where a one-tenth margin could make all the difference—a gold medal was clearly in sight. Ayden, Malinowski, and Ostrom said they had no words. Just before the medal ceremony, Sunisa’s sister Shyenne Lee was able to catch the new champion over Facetime. A cheering crowd circled around her as she held her phone up to show Sunisa the party. “It’s amazing that she’s the first Hmong ever,” said Sunisa’s mom Yeev Thoj. “It’s a huge thing for the community and for our families.” “Because of the time difference, it’s so hard to communicate with her,” John said. “But today, it’s all worth it.” John, who uses a wheelchair after an accident in 2019 left him partially paralyzed, added: “Right now if I were walking, I think I would do a backflip myself.” In celebration of the state’s Gold Medal winner, Gov. Walz declared July 30th as “Sunisa Lee Day in Minnesota”. He has not yet commented on whether there will be a state supported parade or celebration once Lee returns from Tokyo.