Lee, Sunisa (2003-…), is an American gymnast. She won three medals at the 2020 Summer Olympic Games in Tokyo, Japan, and three at the 2024 Summer Olympic Games in Paris, France. At the 2020 games, she became the first Hmong American Olympian. The Hmong, also called Meo or Miao, are a mountain people from southern China and northern areas of Laos, Myanmar, Thailand, and Vietnam. Lee became known for her solid performances on the uneven bars. 
Sunisa Phabsomphou was born on March 9, 2003, in Saint Paul, Minnesota. She later adopted the surname of her stepfather, John Lee. Lee and Sunisa’s mother, Yeev Thoj, moved from Laos to the United States, where they met. Many Hmong were allies of the United States during the Vietnam War (1957-1975), leaving the region after the war ended. Sunisa Lee began training in gymnastics at the age of 6. She began competing as a junior elite-level gymnast in 2016 and made the U.S. junior national team in 2017. Lee won a gold medal on the uneven bars at the 2018 U.S. National Championships in Boston, Massachusetts.
In 2019, Lee won multiple medals at her first competition as a senior elite gymnast in Jesolo, Italy. She won a bronze medal on the balance beam and gold medals on the uneven bars and in the floor exercise. Lee was a member of the United States team that won gold at the 2019 World Artistic Championships in Stuttgart, Germany. In that competition, she won a bronze medal on the uneven bars and a silver medal—behind the American gymnast Simone Biles—in the floor exercise.
Lee graduated from high school in 2021. She enrolled at Auburn University on a gymnastic scholarship. In June 2021, Lee won second place at the National Championships, securing her place on the United States Olympic team for the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo. The 2020 Summer Olympics were postponed to 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
At the 2020 Olympics, Lee completed the floor exercise for the team after Biles withdrew from the event. Lee tied for the highest score of the competition on the uneven bars. Her performance helped earn the American team the silver medal. Lee also won an individual gold medal in the all-around event and a bronze medal on the uneven bars.
At the 2024 Olympics, Lee won a team gold medal as well as individual bronze medals in the all-around and uneven bars events.
