- Suni Lee grew up "barely ever [seeing] anybody that looks like me" compete in gymnastics.
- The Olympic all-around champion has made it her mission to help others feel represented in the sport.
- "I want little girls to be able to… see somebody that looks like them" in gymnastics, Lee told Insider.
Suni Lee knows she represents far more than herself every time she hits the mat.
The 19-year-old represents the United States in international competitions and the Auburn Tigers at the collegiate level. But regardless of which leotard she's wearing or gym she's walking into, Lee represents the embodiment of countless little girls' dreams.
She takes that responsibility really seriously — especially as someone who has emulated her own role models in her rise to gymnastics glory.
"I've experienced firsthand how important it is to have women representation in sports and how it can help propel young girls to follow their dreams as athletes," Lee told Insider. "So that's something that's really important to me."
The all-around champion at the Tokyo Olympics knows that, even despite all the progress that's been made in women's athletics, girls still have fewer opportunities to participate in sports than boys. She teamed up with Clif Bar and VOICEINSPORT Foundation to help combat the problem, bringing Title IX trainings to college campuses across America with the goal of broadening girls' access to sports.
And they don't all have to follow exactly in Lee's footsteps. She knows that "the more opportunities and support girls have in sports, the stronger and more powerful they'll be in all aspects of their lives." But seeing themselves represented on the world's biggest stages is key to knowing they can get there, she said.
"Growing up and doing gymnastics, I have barely ever seen anybody that looks like me or is in the same community as me," Lee said. "That's something that we need to work on and something that I put all my efforts into."
"I want little girls to be able to say that they can see somebody that looks like them and help them to become a better athlete or person," she added.
The Minnesota native and some of her teammates on the USA gymnastics squad that competed in Tokyo — "The Fighting Four," as they've since named themselves — have bonded over their shared commitment to diversifying their sport. Jordan Chiles, who helped the squad earn silver in the team all-around, has said she's felt othered as a Black woman with curves competing in a sport that considers white women's bodies the default.
Simone Biles, who has become the face of the sport, has also said she doesn't remember seeing many gymnasts who looked like her while growing up in Texas. But given her rise to the top of the gymnastics world, she knows she's "instilled confidence in little African Americans all over the world."
"Simone is such a great athlete, Jordan is an amazing athlete, and I think it's really cool to see people of different communities be great," Lee said.
As the first Hmong American to compete at the Olympics, Lee feels a similar call to act as a role model for those who share her background.
"That's something that I wanna help other young girls with," she said. "Because that's something that I feel like I never really had the opportunity for."