Another honor for Olympic gold medalist Suni Lee, this time in her hometown of Saint Paul. A head-and-shoulders statue of the gymnast was unveiled Sunday at Phalen Park, with Lieutenant Governor Peggy Flanagan there to present a proclamation for Suni Lee Day in Minnesota as was Mayor Melvin Carter.
“I’m so excited. I’m super happy and it’s beautiful,” Lee said at the unveiling which was a surprise to her.
The statue was created by Seexeng Lee, who's also related to Suni Lee. He said the goal was to share the impact Lee has as a Hmong woman and wanted the sculpture to promote the Hmong community.
Suni Lee is the first female athlete to be commemorated in a Saint Paul park. It was two years ago when she became the Women's All-Around gold medalist in Gymnastics at the Tokyo Olympics.
Lee is currently preparing for the 2024 Olympics, which take place in Paris. To get there, she must compete in the Olympic trials and those take place in less than a year in Minneapolis.