10 Friday, July 30, 2021 Sunisa Lee steps up for Biles, wins Olympic all-around gold DPA TOKYO SUNISA Lee of the United States won the women’s gym- Family and friends watch as Sunisa Lee of Team United States nastics all-around gold at the competes on floor routine during the Women’s All-Around Gymnastics Tokyo Olympics on Thursday. Final on day six of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games on Thursday in The event missed US su- Oakdale, Minnesota, USA. (GETTY IMagES/AFP) perstar Simone Biles, who pulled out of the individual USA’s Sunisa Lee poses with competition, after she with- her gold medal at the Ariake drew from all-around team Gymnastics Centre in Tokyo on How Sunisa nailed it final on Tuesday, to focus on Thursday. (AFP) NYT also important. Graba said he her mental health. TOKYO and Lee often discussed win- Lee scored a total of 57.433 support I’ve received has ning the Olympic gold medal, points to beat Brazil’s Rebeca made me realize I’m more FOR years, Sunisa Lee, a teen- even in the era of Biles, be- Andrade by 0.135. than my accomplishments and ager from Minnesota who be- cause he knew she had the po- “It feels super crazy, I defi- gymnastics which I never truly came the Olympic all-around tential to do it under the right nitely didn’t think I would be believed before,” the 24-year- gymnastics champion Thurs- circumstances. Even if Biles here in this moment with a gold old posted on Twitter. day night, wasn’t training just had been in the competition medal,” Lee said. “I haven’t re- She could yet contest the for herself. in Tokyo, he said, he thought ally let it sink in yet because I four individual events next Lee, a Hmong American, Lee could come close to beat- feel like it’s not real life.” week with USA gymnastics went to the gym every day for ing her. Andrade was biding for saying “Simone will continue all the first-generation Ameri- “Too much of the conver- gold, but was out of bounds to be evaluated daily” before a cans who wanted to achieve sation has been about one per- with two feet and then again decision is made. success when their parents son,” Graba said, adding that on the last tumbling pass. Biles, a four-time Olympic had come to the United States he was thrilled that the world Her medal is the first for a champion from Rio 2016, was with nothing. And she trained has had a chance to see Lee at South American woman in the USA’s Sunisa Lee competes in the balance beam event of the artistic gymnastics women’s all-around final seeking to become the first through grueling practices and her best and appreciate her, as women’s all-around final. Be- during the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games at the Ariake Gymnastics Centre in Tokyo on Thursday. (AFP) woman to win consecutive painful injuries for her father, he and his wife have done for fore her performance, the best all-around titles at the Games John, who suffered a spinal more than a decade. “I thought finish by a Brazilian woman time [Tokyo], I knew that I champion from Rio 2016, was Biles thanks fans for ‘love since Vera Caslavska of Czech- cord injury in 2019 and now she was this good all the time. was Jade Barbosa’s 10th place was going for a medal and I seeking to become the first and support’ oslovakia in 1964 and 1968. uses a wheelchair. I feel best that everybody else finish in 2008. was way more confident [than woman to win consecutive Meanwhile, Simone Biles took USA gymnastics said Lee, 18, came into the got to see it. She finally got to “I am very, very happy,” Rio],” she said. all-around titles at the Games to social media on Thursday to Wednesday it supported her Olympics wanting to win a gold show it.” Andrade said. “I’m very thank- “I was 16 in Rio, so this was since Vera Caslavska of Czech- thank her fans after her shock decision to withdraw from the medal for her father, who is ful to all the people who have very different.” oslovakia in 1964 and 1968. withdrawal from events. competition. “We wholeheart- her biggest fan, and for all the supported me.” Melnikova was also part Biles congratulated Lee on Biles withdrew from all- edly support Simone’s deci- Hmong Americans who she Before the medal ceremo- Angelina Melnikova got of the Russian squad that Instagram after her win: “Ab- around team final on Tuesday sion and applaud her bravery feels are unseen in the United ny, Sunisa FaceTimed her bronze for the Russian Olym- claimed a first women’s Olym- solutely killed it!!! OLYMPIC and later pulled out of Thurs- in prioritizing her well-being. States. But she had publicly family, which had been pic Committee (ROC). pic all-around team gold in 29 CHAMPION RIGHT HERE day’s individual competition Her courage shows, yet again, stated that her goal was to win watching the competition “When the score came up, years on Tuesday. !!! So so so beyond proud of to focus on her mental health. why she is a role model for so silver in the all-around be- from a large hall near her all my dreams came true. This Biles, a four-time Olympic you!!!!” “The outpouring love and many.” cause teammate Simone Biles, home in St. Paul. She the four-time Olympic medal- talked to her father first, ist, had been considered a lock to win that title. saying, “I did it!” But after a lifetime of chas- They both cried. MEDALS ing Biles in the all-around TALLY Dressel claims men’s 100m freestyle because Biles hasn’t lost that Lee’s gold in the all- marquee event since 2013, Lee around, which determines the Country G S B T honour; Finke wins first men’s 800m took advantage of her shot to best overall gymnast, came China 15 7 9 31 do so in Tokyo. Biles, consid- just two days after she rallied ered the best gymnast of all her teammates to win silver in Japan 15 4 6 25 100m fly, won gold in the time, withdrew from the team the team final. Biles had pulled USA 14 14 10 38 China break 200m butterfly in 2:03.86, event and the all-around be- out of the team event after ROC 8 11 9 28 4x200m freestyle 1.44 seconds ahead of second cause of mental stress, leaving competing on the vault, the Australia 8 2 10 20 placed Regan Smith of the US Lee in position to win it all. first of four events. On the next Great Britain 5 7 6 18 world record who took home the silver. Fel- “It didn’t even think I’d event, the uneven bars, Lee de- low American Hali Flickinger ever get here,” Lee said. “It cided to perform her hardest South Korea 4 3 5 12 DPA won bronze with 2:05.65. doesn’t even feel like I’m in bars routine — the most diffi- France 3 5 3 11 TOKYO And Zhang returned an real life.” cult in the world — instead of Germany 3 3 7 13 hour later to lead China to gold On Thursday, Lee hit rou- the easier one she had planned Italy 2 7 10 19 CAELEB Dressel continued in a 4x200m freestyle relay tine after routine, often as if because she knew the team Netherlands 2 7 4 13 his bid for swimming im- world record 7:40.33 seconds. she were at practice, not at the would need every tenth of a Canada 2 3 5 10 mortality at the Tokyo Games Junxuan Yang, Muhan most important competition point to win a medal. Her 15.4 on Thursday with a tight vic- Tang and Bingjie Li were in a of her life. She even nailed the points on bars was the highest Hungary 2 1 2 5 tory in the men’s 100-metre dogfight with Australia from floor exercise in her last rota- score of the night. Slovenia 2 1 1 4 freestyle over 2016 Olympic USA’s Caeleb Dressel competes in a heat for the men’s 100m butter- the start, but eventually pre- tion, with new choreography Later, Lee competed on Croatia 2 0 1 3 champion Kyle Chalmers. fly swimming event at the Tokyo Aquatics Centre on Thursday.(AFP) vailed while an incredible an- and elements that had been the floor exercise after not Kosovo 2 0 0 2 Dressel, 24, was widely chor performance by 1,500m changed by her coach, Jess practicing her floor routine for considered the heir to Ameri- American Robert Finke won touching the wall 0.46 seconds winner Katie Ledecky earned Graba, that morning. They two days because her coach can greats Mark Spitz and Mi- the inaugural men’s 800m after Finke. the US silver. had decided to take out her wanted to spare her ankle. chael Phelps going into the freestyle at the Games thanks The men’s 800m freestyle Australia, led by 100m, fourth tumbling pass because She wasn’t initially selected Olympics with a potentially to a blistering last 50 metres. is officially debuting at the 200m and 4x100m winner her left ankle, which she frac- to perform the floor exercise Tennis huge medal haul available to Finke came back from Olympics 117 years after Ger- Ariarne Titmus, took bronze tured last year, hasn’t com- at the team final because each Vondrousova sets him depending on his relay fourth at the last turn, swim- many’s Emil Rausch won the in an Oceania record 7:41.29 pletely healed, leading to poor country chooses only three of participation.