Suni Lee had stalkers after Olympics gold fame

Sunisa “Suni” Lee reportedly experienced multiple instances of stalking after becoming the first Hmong American to win a gold medal in the individual all-around event at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics. Lee’s coaches revealed to the New York Times that one of her stalkers tried to track her down in at least three different states.

Her stalkers: Jess Graba, Lee’s longtime coach, recalled how a Hmong man in his 40s or 50s followed Lee from Minnesota to Graba’s gym in Little Canada, Minnesota, looking for the gymnast. Graba noted that Auburn University hired security to escort Lee in public. Her security detail also reportedly had to sweep the hotel she was staying at during a meet in Georgia to look for two men who were allegedly stalking her. “It was scary. I don’t know if I can talk about it,” Lee told Sports Illustrated.
Other experiences: Besides stalking, Lee’s newfound fame also brought unwanted attention from other students at Auburn University. Lee told the New York Times, “I couldn’t trust anybody because it was always like people wanted things from me, like, ‘Hey, can you do this for me or can you do that for me?’ I just started to feel like I couldn’t talk to anybody about anything. I had to learn to be alone.” Lee’s career was put on hold after she suffered from an undisclosed kidney disease in 2023. She returned to full-time training and competition in early 2024 after her illness went into remission.

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