Suni Lee take home gold medals for Team USA.
TOKYO (AP) — Team USA’s Suni Lee came out on top in the women’s gymnastics all-around competition on July 29 at the Tokyo Olympics—becoming the first Hmong American to win a gold medal.
Lee capitalized on two mistakes by Brazil’s Rebeca Andrade to edge her out with a score of 57.433.
Carissa Moore take home gold medals for Team USA.
Carissa Moore won the first Olympic gold for surfing on July 27—she is the only Native Hawaiian surfer at the Games.
The 28-year-old Moore, the darling child prodigy who could beat the boys and grew up to be the youngest world champion surfer, persevered after struggling in the early heats.
“It’s been a crazy couple of days,” Moore said. “A little bit of a rollercoaster of emotions just trying to figure out the break, find my rhythm, learning how to trust myself without my family here.”
The relatively modest beach break conditions were so unlike the world class waves she’s used to as a veteran of the professional tour and at home in Hawaii. By the end, the methodical and well-loved surfer finally got in rhythm with the ocean in time to deliver the kind of standout performance that has defined her career.
Two days prior to Moore’s win, Filipina American Lee Kiefer won the third gold medal for the United States at the Tokyo Olympics and the third fencing gold in the country’s history by beating defending champion Inna Deriglazova of Russia 15-13 in the women’s foil final.
She ripped off her mask after the final point and shouted, “Oh my God!” She placed fifth at the 2012 London Olympics and was 10th at the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympics.
Lee Kiefer take home gold medals for Team USA.
Kiefer is the first American to win a gold medal in the individual foil, the first Asian American woman to win a fencing gold in general, and only the second woman in U.S. history to win a gold medal in fencing. The first was Mariel Zagunis in 1904.
A four-time NCAA champion at Notre Dame, Kiefer is now a medical student at the University of Kentucky. Her husband, Gerek Meinhardt, won bronze with the U.S. team in foil at the 2016 Olympics.
“It’s such an incredible feeling that I share with my coach, I share with my husband, with my family, just everyone that’s been a part of this,” she said, with her gold medal hanging from her neck. “I wish I could chop it up in little pieces and distribute it to everyone I love.”