St. Paul, Minnesota native Sunisa “Suni” Lee and Plano, Texas’ Asher Hong secured their spots in the upcoming finals at the 2024 Paris Olympics. Lee, the first Hmong American Olympian and the reigning all-around gold medalist, will defend her title against teammate and all-time great Simone Biles, while rising star Hong joined the U.S. men’s team’s quest for gold in the team final on Monday.
- Lee to face off against Biles: Lee, 21, delivered a steady performance across all events, earning a total score of 56.132 to secure her spot in the individual finals for balance beam and uneven bars. The U.S. women’s team, which dominated with the highest team score of 172.296, will vie for a gold medal in the team final on Tuesday, while Biles and Lee will go head-to-head in the all-around final on Thursday.
- Hong’s impressive Olympic debut: Hong placed third on rings, fifth on vault and sixth on floor exercise to help the U.S. men’s team achieve a score of 253.229, placing second overall behind Great Britain’s 256.561. “To finally go out there and show off the routines is like, feels awesome… I feel like I did my job to the best of my extent. I mean, I hit the events that I needed to. High bar was a little messed up, but I recovered well,” the 20-year-old Stanford senior said after securing the finals.
