Sunisa Lee Parade - Source: Getty — Suni Lee celebrates her mother's birthday (Image Source: Getty)

Suni Lee pens a heartfelt message for her mother's 50th birthday

Modified Apr 21, 2025 01:22 GMT

Suni Lee recently celebrated her mother's 50th birthday. Sharing a glimpse of the celebrations, the gymnast penned a heartfelt note for her mother.

Lee's mother, Yeev Thoj, immigrated to the USA from Laos with her mother and sister when she was just 12-years-old. Over the years, Lee has been vocal about her gratitude to Thoj, thanking her for her support in her gymnastics career.

On Monday, April 21, Suni Lee celebrated her mom’s birthday alongside her sisters Shyenne and Evionn. Taking to Instagram, the gymnast shared a snap of herself posing alongside her mother and siblings, and expressed her love in a heartfelt note, writing,

“Momma’s 50th. My whole heart. I love you so much.”

Lee's parents, Yeev Thoj and John Lee, have played a crucial role in their daughter’s journey to Olympic glory. John Lee, who also immigrated to the USA from Laos when he was a child, built the 22-year-old a balance beam in their backyard during her childhood, which kickstarted her journey in gymnastics.

After the Tokyo Olympics, where Suni Lee won gold in the all-around, Thoj expressed her journey at her daughter's victory, telling TODAY,

“Just thinking of all the hard work that she has done in the past four years and every time she has a bad day and she comes home crying, and that kind of hurts me, and so to see her with the gold medal, it just makes me happy.”

Lee's father has been equally supportive of her sporting career, and the gymnast once revealed that she turns to her dad for motivation and confidence before competing.

Suni Lee shares a glimpse of her time at Madison Square Garden

Lee at the SNL50: The Homecoming Concert (Image Source: Getty)

Suni Lee had an incredibly hectic schedule during the 2024 season. Dealing with two rare kidney diseases, the youngster beat all odds to qualify for the Paris Olympics, her second-consecutive Games.

In Paris, Lee helped USA reclaim the team gold medal. While she wasn't able to defend her all-around title, the 22-year-old walked away with two individual bronze medals, one in the all-around and one on the uneven bars.

Since the 2024 Games, Lee has been enjoying some time away from gymnastics. Most recently, the American attended a New York Knicks game at Madison Square Garden. Sharing snaps from her outing on Instagram, the gymnast wrote,

“night in the garden 💛”

After wrapping up her campaign at the Paris Olympics, Suni Lee has moved to New York from her hometown of Minnesota. While the American isn't currently training, she hasn't yet announced her retirement or ruled out competing at the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.

About the author

Riddhi is a journalist who covers Indian sports and US Olympic sports at Sportskeeda. Sports have been an integral part of her life growing up, from the excitement of cheering teams to the anticipation of major events. She brings a wealth of experience covering the sport, demonstrating a deep understanding of the game and its players. Riddhi excels in crafting engaging articles, conducting thorough research, and staying abreast of the latest news and trends, all while adhering to SEO and journalism guidelines.

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