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Tokyo Olympics: Hmong-American Sunisa Lee adds bronze medal on uneven bars for USA

  • The 18-year-old wins third medal of 2020 Games following silver in team competition and all-around gold
  • Nina Derwael of Belgium takes the gold medal and the Russian Anastasiia Iliankova secures bronze

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USA’s Sunisa Lee competes in the artistic gymnastics women’s uneven bars final at Tokyo 2020 Olympics. Photo: AFP

Sunisa Lee will have her carry-on stuffed with medals when she heads back to the United States.

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The 18-year-old Olympic gymnastics champion from Minnesota added a bronze in the uneven bars finals on Sunday. Lee earned a silver in the team competition on Tuesday before grabbing gold in the all-around on Thursday.

Lee has endured a bit of the usual whirlwind that comes with the territory when you win an Olympic title. The three days since her star-making triumph has featured the usual trappings of instant fame: from the social media shoutouts by celebrities to a crush of new followers on Instagram to a series of interviews.

She and Nina Derwael of Belgium are the two best bar workers in the world, their routines are jam-packed with a series of difficult connections and releases strung together with such ease it seems like they’re making it up as they go along.

Bronze medallist Sunisa Lee of the US, gold medallist Nina Derwael of Belgium and silver medallist Anastasiia Iliankova of Russia pose during the medal ceremony. Photo: EPA
Bronze medallist Sunisa Lee of the US, gold medallist Nina Derwael of Belgium and silver medallist Anastasiia Iliankova of Russia pose during the medal ceremony. Photo: EPA
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Wearing a dazzling crystal-laden blue leotard, Lee led off and wasn’t quite as crisp as usual. She failed to connect a couple of elements early in her set, costing her tenths of a point along the way.

Derwael, a two-time world champion in the event, was a little more fluid. Her 15.2 was easily the highest of the night and gave Belgium it’s first-ever gold in artistic gymnastics.

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