MINNEAPOLIS -- St. Paul native Suni Lee was there to prove — perhaps to herself most of all — that the all-around gold medal she earned at the Tokyo Olympic Games while superstar Simone Biles watched from the stands wasn’t a fluke.
Performing before a packed house Sunday night at Target Center, Lee used a spectacular performance on the uneven bars to vault her way onto the US team that'll compete later this month at the Paris Olympics.
The crowd exploded following her dismount, and grew even louder when her score of 14.875 was posted.
It was the highest score on the uneven bars throughout the entire weekend of top-notch competition in downtown Minneapolis.
Joining Lee on team USA is Biles, who's looking to rebound after withdrawing from the Tokyo Games to focus on her mental health.
That team went on to win the silver medal.
Also qualifying were Jordan Chiles, Jade Carey, and Hezly Rivera.
"I didn't think this was possible," Lee told NBC television. "I'm so grateful, and all of these amazing ladies are absolutely incredible, so, I can't wait to be in Paris."
The US women's team won gold at the 2012 and 2016 Games before coming in second to the Russian squad during the most recent Olympics.
The US men's team was finalized during Saturday's competition in downtown Minneapolis.
Headed to Paris are Frederick Richard, Body Malone, Paul Juda, Asher Hong, and Stephen Nedoroscik.
One of the team alternates who'll also make the trip is former University of Minnesota gymnast Shane Wiskus of Spring Park.
Wiskus won the NCAA championship three times while performing for the Gophers, and was a member of the American squad in Tokyo.
Here are the attendance figures for each session:
Sunday (Womens’ Day 2): 16,300 (sellout)
Saturday (Men’s Day 2): 14,180
Friday (Women’s Day 1): 16,153 (sellout)
Thursday (Men’s Day 1): 11,258
Total Attendance: 57,891
The Associated Press provided content for this item