Suni Lee stared in awe at the sculpture unveiled on a sunny Sunday morning at Phalen Regional Park — a bronze bust of the St. Paul native that overlooks Lake Phalen.
The Hmong American Olympic champion said she was grateful to have inspired a community she's proud to be a part of.
"I wouldn't be here without you guys truly, selling the T-shirts and coming to fundraisers and helping everything even when my family was at my lowest," Lee said.
The unveiling, which was a surprise to Lee and her parents, took place as part of "Sunisa Lee Day" in Minnesota to honor her achievements and character. About 100 people attended the ceremony, including St. Paul Mayor Melvin Carter, Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan and City Council members.
Blake School art teacher Seexeng Lee, who sculpted the bust, said he was inspired by Suni Lee's impact as a Hmong woman and wanted the sculpture to promote the Hmong community. He worked with St. Paul Parks and Recreation to complete the project and obtained a family photo from her parents as a reference for the work.
Suni Lee won three medals at the Tokyo Olympics in 2021 — gold in the all-around, silver in the team competition and a bronze in the uneven bars — after becoming the first Hmong American gymnast to qualify for the Olympics.
The sculpture was completed in three weeks and cost $33,000. St. Paul City Council Member Nelsie Yang obtained $15,000 from neighborhood STAR funds, and Seexeng Lee came up with the remaining $18,000, St. Paul Parks Director Andy Rodriguez said. Seexeng Lee said he solicited donations on Facebook and from businesses and put up some of his own money.
Suni Lee is only the second female athlete to be recognized within the St. Paul park system, Rodriguez said. A ball field at the Dunning Sports Complex is named for Toni Stone, who grew up in St. Paul and became the first woman to play on a majors-level professional baseball team.
