Sunisa Lee produced a brilliant performance to secure gold in the women’s gymnastics all-around on Thursday in Tokyo.
The 18-year-old won ahead of Brazil’s Rebeca Andrade in silver and the Russian gymnast Angelina Melnikova, who won bronze. Jessica Gadirova was Great Britain’s best finisher in 10th.
“It feels crazy, it is so surreal,” Lee said after winning gold. “It’s a dream come true. I don’t even know what to say. It hasn’t even sunk in. … The past two years with Covid have been crazy. There was one point I wanted to quit. To be here and to be an Olympic gold medallist is just crazy.”
The women’s individual all-around is always one of the most anticipated events at the Olympics, showcasing examples of breathtaking athletic skills. However, it came under even more scrutiny this week after four-time Olympic champion Simone Biles stepped away from two events, including the all-around, due to mental health concerns.
Lee, the first Hmong American to compete for the United States at the Olympics, duly delivered in Biles’s absence, winning the most coveted prize in her sport. Her overall score of 57.433 put her ahead of Andrade (57.298) and Melnikova (57.199).
Andrade could have caught Lee on the floor exercise but landed out of bounds twice, meaning her American opponent became the Olympic champion. The victory means the US have won the event at every Olympics since 2004 with the list being made up of Carly Patterson (2004), Nastia Liukin (2008), Gabby Douglas (2012) and Simone Biles (2016).
Full report to follow …