The night Suni Lee became a legend and claimed all-around gold | FULL BROADCAST | NBC Sports

it is the sport's most celebrated individual event the olympic all-around final gold silver bronze on the line tonight here in tokyo the plot has not followed the initial script at all and now it is a wide open affair simone biles not competing tonight but watching and cheering and still inspiring along with their american teammates jordan chiles michaela skinner and grace mccallum so it is jade carey the 21 year old from phoenix arizona who will replace simone biles in this individual all around it's been the world championships before but this her olympic debut here in tokyo and the standings in qualification could see she earned her way she would have been here in the individual all-around had there not been that two per country warm-up underway they will start on vault the standings in the qualification not that they carry over but just to give you an idea i mean she was in the top ten so if there weren't that two per country rule jake carey would be in this individual all-around final simone of course qualified number one rebecca andrade one of the top names right behind and suny lee the three spot but the second best in terms of who is competing tonight so guys nasty and tim your olympic champs you won this particular event back in 2008 what's she going through right now well you know she's always been considered an event specialist she is so spectacular on vault and floor but competing here in the all-around finals is very special for her i talked to her yesterday and she said this is for me i have said it all along that i just want to prove to myself that i can do all around and i've already done that yeah you know i mean the pandemic and the postponement of the olympic games over a year in time has benefited jade immensely she was a specialist in the past but with the extra time she has become unbelievable on the uneven bars and her balance beam it's been a remarkable improvement in her gymnastics so she will start on vault and so will suny lee here you go with the warm up for the 18 year old from st paul minnesota and a two-time u.s all-around silver medalist yeah and she has really just peaked at the right time we talk about that really over and over the olympic games it is the pinnacle of an athlete's career not just making it here but when you are as strong as she is in the all-around competition you want to win you don't want to just come out here and compete in the second event for her the uneven bars that is going to be key but she faltered a little bit in the 2019 world championships in the all-around but in qualifying she was second guess who to simone bios she's been in this situation she can deal with the pressure i think she's one of the best competitors i've ever seen she doesn't get phased by anything and she's really tremendous on all four events jade carey does have the advantage of having her dad here with her he is her coach she'll be out there with him every step of the way and we start on vault with suny lee definitely one of the favorites for the gold medal tonight but this is where she really needs to jump out and she can be much better on vault than we've seen her at the olympic games thus far has been battling with an ankle injury for about two years wow and that was probably the best fault that i have ever seen her do that was really good [Music] really explosive she had a much better body position coming into the floor and pretty much a darn near stuck landing so take a look she'll stretch back onto the table and get that block legs are together just a little bit of a feet separation when she lands and yeah it was it was pretty much a stick just uh almost looked like the mat slid back a little bit and it's important to remember the top four athletes are all within three tenths of each other so landings tonight are really one of important kids in the family and back in the twin cities oakdale minnesota that's where uh they're gathering tonight to watch suny lee she's talked about it all throughout the last couple of years that we've watched her at the national level the world championships and now the olympics how important her family everybody's a family is important but i mean they've been with her they've inspired her her dad john always with those words before she comes out to compete the number now execution 9.2 out of a perfect 10. get the difficulty plus the execution no penalties there and the score 14.6 best one she's had at the olympic games that's what you want to do so now the 22 year old from brazil rebecca andrade what she has been through she competed in rio at home but she has had three acl surgeries in the last four years the last one in 2019. this vault is spectacular the same vault we'll see from jade carey [Music] [Applause] that was huge that was a goosebump moment for me talk about momentum coming in too the pan american championship she won the all-around goal there so look she does a half on onto the table completely open stretch body position wow amazing just such amazing technique as well watch how there's no twisting off the table at all shows that laid out front flip that's what you want to do a lot of gymnasts try to twist a little bit too early or they can't help not twisting too early and it takes away their height along the way we've been giving you the symbols just to help out if you're new to gymnastics next to the number if it's in green it's excellent yellow is safe red you want to avoid below average and all of that based on recent major international meets now the no yeah that number better be in green 15.3 that is a big opening number for rebecca andrade so she leads the way on vault still to come as we continue jade carey opens things up [Applause] back in tokyo rotation one underway of four in all four apparatus jade carey set to go on vault she is very good here she's very good on floor overall now in the all-around the replacement for simone biles tonight [Music] she said her parents owned a gym when she was little so she kind of was born there and she said i started bouncing on the trampoline before i could walk her dad brian her coach and and you know that well i want to pick your brain throughout the evening your dad was there in beijing there's the family watching her mom danielle her significant other charlie brother sister a watch party in orlando you know it's has to be so difficult for some of these athletes for their families not to be here but as you mentioned having her dad right here on the floor with her is just a level of security and safety and comfort that nobody else feels on the floor tonight she says her dad has her back always and it's an unbreakable bond same fault we saw from andrej really nice not quite as tight in form and the the rebound wasn't as great as rebecca's but it's a very good start so obviously competing against each other here in the individual competition but still just the most supportive teammates on the competition floor off the competition floor to experience something like this together they're never going to forget this moment and see right there on the table just a little like separation pretty good on the landing though the judge is really looking to make sure you don't pike down bend in your hips on the landing so half turn onto the board then another one onto the table rebounds that's a laid out front flip with one and a half twists or a rudy as we call it in gymnastics lingo world team champion 2019 and the silver medal on vault at the world championships it's a 15.2 that is stratospheric wow [Music] and now the 21 year old from belgium in fact she has been the face of belgian gymnastics for the past several seasons nina derwell [Applause] [Music] all right good bald for her a good start this is not one of her better events when she goes to the uneven bars next you won't believe how phenomenal she is this vault has a much lower degree of difficulty or maximum starting score than we just saw from jade carey but look her knees are already bending a little bit and that hop forward and see those lines if your feet go over the line it's a deduction on the line it's in inbounds [Music] belgium by the way has not won an olympic gymnastics medal since 1920 they've never won gold the number for derwell 13.9 very good start for the american suny league [Music] back on vault the 16 year old young teenager in the russian olympic committee vladislava or roosevelt double twisting your chanco here oh boy we've seen some great balls and like i said remember the top four are all within three tenths of a point so every tenth counts and sticking those landings is really critical vault has a value maximum score of 15.4 what we saw rebecca andrade and jade carey do that's actually worth a 16.0 a little bit of crossed feet at the very end almost she actually landed with her feet crossed which can be a little dangerous but it was okay there she qualified number five so she was in the top five 5.4 difficulty 9.1 execution 14.5 the number for razorback next up it's angelina melnikova from the russian olympic committee and she also qualified in the top five she was number four coming in certainly one of the top names and again emboldened by that team gold medal oh and what a night it was for them she closed the entire competition in the anchor position on the floor exercise and in really right as she landed emotions so many emotions poured out they of course i'm waiting for final score to come up in the celebration [Music] the men and the women gold medalists here at the olympics [Music] oh everybody is on their a game tonight not a stick but that was definitely just a tenth of a point slide if it's a meter or more it's three tenths if it's less than a meter only one tenth of a port on the landing [Music] as has been mentioned they were inspired by the russian men winning the title and then they did it themselves and they're confident that there are more medals to come after such a successful games thus far turns just a little early off of the table which causes a little bit of that leg separation in the air just gorgeous all across the board every single event that she competed in rio she was the youngest on the team at the age of 16 and did not qualify for the all-around or individual finals but is a big part of the picture here 14.633 for melnikova while all of that was taking place over on uneven bars tang xi jin who won the silver medal the last time the world championships came around and then the team finals china just had an abysmal performance everybody had them pegged for the bronze medal they ended up in seventh so many falls not on this one though 14.233 for the 18 year old who expects to be there in the mix all night long so rotation one in the books that's how we stand on drag better than anybody 15.3 jade kerry right behind suny lee they'll head to uneven bars next just a heads up you don't want to miss this she is really good back with rotation number two and suny lee this is where she could take hold of the event tonight she was second best overall in qualifying on uneven bars it'll be rebecca andrade though to kick it off in this rotation in that group boy what a thrill it must have been back in 2016 to be back at home leeds right now 15.3 over jade carey but somewhat skewed sometimes the numbers because where you start certain events have higher numbers and you're better individually on certain events so rotation number two and also guys how exhilarating to be there at home in front of the home crowd back in rio and it was loud really really loud she ended up 11th in the all-around but in qualifying she was all the way near the top in the fourth position so the experience of having competed in an olympics and now coming in into this individual all-around as the person who qualified right behind simone miles top qualifier actually competing tonight one of the favorites [Applause] [Music] wow huge connection right there beautiful handstand gorgeous form just every single thing glued a little short on that handstand but her legs and toes glued together [Music] [Applause] acl tears from 2015 to 19. i mean that is incredible to keep coming back and and 10 11 months off at a time here in tokyo she would be the first brazilian woman to win an olympic gymnastics medal of any kind and she has had the potential for years and just because of those injuries it has been so frustrating for her but this combination right here from the high bar to the low bar and makes it so hard is she goes right back up to the high bar right here just beautiful yeah she floats it's amazing does this dismount in combination gives her a little bit more difficulty higher maximum score but she doesn't just stick it's like with authority and no doubt three times she tore that right acl [Applause] yeah and rebecca said about her injuries i'm not thankful i got injured but it was essential for me to grow up 14 666 the number for uneven bars so it's jade carey coming up next the one gymnast who's got a family member not only here in tokyo but out there with her tonight [Music] [Applause] i've been working for this for so long and just so unreal a congratulatory hug from coach and dad he's been coaching me ever since i was a little kid we've been dreaming of this i'm really honored to represent my country and to be able to share that with him it means everything to me it's a thing of beauty just massive tumbling from start to finish [Music] wow what an olympic performance here you go jade and that relationship taken right out on the floor competition here in tokyo you you know what it's like to have your dad out there in the individual all-around final with you think back to the advantage that was or maybe words of wisdom he had for you yeah you know the thing that he always told me was that we've worked so hard and you really don't need to worry in this moment he also encouraged me to not worry about the scores not worry about the placement just to go out there concentrate do your job and you're gonna get what you deserve i'm sure similar things being said tonight with brian and jake terry and also tim has got to be just a look a presence being there oh absolutely i mean it just it kind of just radiates you know it's father and daughter and uh you know they he has been on this olympic journey as well you know and uh he has had to make the same commitments tons and tons of sacrifices to get his daughter to this point and uh i'm sure it's been an unbelievable ride for him and mom as well not here but watching in orlando and they watch party after a final nod from dad jade carey now on uneven bars she said she doesn't consider bars a weak event anymore neither do i big combination was supposed to connect it to the low bar right here so it's not going to be deduction she just is going to lose in the difficulty side of the score [Music] very nice from the high bar down to the low [Applause] a little bit past on that handstand that's typical for her great body position she had a couple of falls on that first release skill in the 30-second touch right before she was competing she has to be far enough away so she can connect it into that ginger so she needs to be far away so she's got enough swing to create the next release and that just wasn't enough for her you know when you are a little too far from the bar and warm up two times in a row you kind of tend to obviously fix that mistake so she was a little closer more than likely for that reason and here's that dismount full twisting double back watch her spot the ground with her eyes [Applause] wow what what a start for jade two events down two to go wasn't even supposed to compete here in the all-around finals so take it back to warm-ups and perhaps a problem or two here initially you thought maybe this is planned but no well i know jade likes to get the feeling of doing it really far from the bar and i've seen her many times do that in warm-ups but i've not seen her do it two times in a row like that and just so you guys at home know these maps are pretty soft they're not really that soft they do they don't sound soft but they do look soft yeah and obviously they don't feel no they definitely don't but that is the first thing that you were taught as a gymnast exactly how to fall and it was just like that you fall completely flat [Music] so the number now for jay 13.5 it's in red there so not where you want to be in the nod meeting something else from her father right now as we take you to break simone and teammates watching tonight cheering on suny lee and jade carey as of this moment as this competition is taking place she has not announced whether or not she'll compete in the event finals next week no she's got the family back home and all the kids too spring texas at the gym world champions center they kept the party going there i'll play hi guys let's hear you [Music] there you go rotation two continues and on uneven bars nina derwell in eighth place after the opening rotation she loves this event though the two-time reigning world champ on uneven bars she is spectacular here as well huge air on this release and then it gets really complicated she's gonna do another release and then turn at the last second and connect down to the low bar and back up again this is such an efficient routine such a beautiful look to her on the uneven bars because of her height her lines are so long [Applause] [Music] she's a lot taller than a lot of the other competitors here and sometimes that can make it more challenging on this event specifically you're not allowed to change the distance between the two bars which makes it a lot harder every single time you pass the bar you're closer and more capable of hitting the low bar every time she says she has a symbiotic relationship with the uneven bars i like to think i can communicate and have a relationship with them the bars speak to me and tell me when to let go and when to regrasp pretty cool by the way you might recognize nina do a while instagram post went viral with novak djokovic in the olympic village doing the splits stretching i know [Music] 15.266 the number for derwell it's that difficulty score that 6.7 right there is what really sets her apart from the other competitors on this [Music] [Applause] event we believe in a world where every breath is clean toyota start your impossible next up teenager 16 year old lana slava or roosevelt the russian olympic committee beautiful routine here she actually grew three inches last year which is very challenging as a gymnastic throws your timing off tremendously but thus far perfect timing look at she just floats on that front flip that's a little low though every handstand has to go directly vertically [Applause] [Music] [Applause] she's very steady across all of her events whereas suny lee and nina dorwell have a huge event on the uneven bars she just chips away on every event here's that dismount so here in the women's competition a lot more stuff landings just like that but in the team final she actually came off of the balance beam and that's going to be coming up next for her so big to test second and uneven mars at the european championships number here 8.566 for execution 14 866 and still to come suny lee a big part of the competition tonight this next routine knock uneven bars closed captioning and video description is brought to you by toyota start your impossible third place after the opening rotation one of the names in there for the gold medal tonight in the mix angelina melnikova and she doesn't just do a similar routine to eurozovash she does the exact same routine all the same skills in the same exact order crazy it's a very like i said earlier efficient routine [Applause] let's see if she can go more vertical here a little bit higher than her teammate [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] definitely the leader of that team experience-wise as we look at some of the moments from this routine so here's that dismount again same exact dismount that we have seen from multiple of the athletes full twisting double back almost like she doesn't quite bend her knees enough on that landing that's what really helps you balance out the landings so the difficulty execution total 14-9 in green for melnikova a very big score great bars coming up next it's suny lee important part of tonight for her for more on suny and how she got here her path here's andrea joyce terry the past few years the road to tokyo has been very difficult and emotional for suny lee and her family her dad john who has been a constant by her side throughout her entire career had a bad accident just a couple of days before the 2019 u.s nationals john was paralyzed from the waist down after falling from a ladder when he was in the backyard of a friend's house helping him out now the lees are part of a close-knit hmong community an ethnic minority with roots in southeast asia more than 66 000 hmong live in the minneapolis-st paul area many of them came together to help the lees make their home handicap accessible and with fundraising to help with sunnis expenses so tonight is a celebration for that community john told me that they had to move the watch party to a much bigger location and event space because so many people wanted to celebrate this night and while john always tells suny to have fun and compete for herself it is clear her olympic experience extends well beyond this arena we'll be back with suny lee on the uneven bars when we return before break you just heard the emotional family story with suny lee if you want to see the steps to making the olympic team terrific all-access look golden the journey of usa's elite gymnast a six-episode docu-series featuring suny and four other top americans it's available now on peacock back to suny lee competing in the all-around as we head back to terry again back now in the moment maybe for suny lee because she entered this rotation about seven tenths of a point behind rebecca andrade and her routine now you look at the difficulty it's five tenths more difficult than rebecca so this is the time to go yeah and she can absolutely make that up both in the difficulty and the execution [Music] she has done two different versions of her routine day one qualifying she did a 6.6 difficulty routine in the team final stratospheric 6.8 the highest of anyone in the olympic games on this event scored a 15.4 [Music] and if she's able to pull that off it is just release after release after release this is it her entire performance in the all-around rest on this routine whatever she does on this event will define her here tonight always does that puts her hand on her stomach to calm herself a little bit [Applause] [Music] trickiest combination comes right after this here got it gorgeous [Music] another combination coming up here down to the low bar and right back up to the high bar a little bit of a foreshadowing of the uneven bar final that she'll be up against nina derwell [Applause] there you go [Applause] [Music] that is and she knew it too starting that routine her time to say all right i'm either going to be in this to the end or i am not and took full advantage look at that height that she got on that first skill and what makes her so incredible on this event every single skill is connected back to back to back if you are a little bit off on one skill it goes right into the next skill the next call the next skill you have to be so technically precise look at this landing precision [Music] standing o jordan giles and the ovation from her teammates i think that was better than she did in in team finals [Applause] [Music] i know how important that routine just was and there is the 15.3 for suny lee biggest number tonight yep meanwhile over on balance beam this taking place for the 18 year old from china tong xi jing this is disastrous for her you can't fall in the all-around finals only four events china has had a really really rough olympic games thus far 13.066 the number but we are through two rotations big effort on the uneven bars from suny lee now within seven one hundredths of a point of the lead of rebecca andrade as we continue halfway through here in tokyo [Music] can surprise you [Music] it can humble you it can test you [Music] it can inspire you they didn't expect this to be the story but that doesn't mean they weren't ready for the spotlight they've worked for this they've dreamed about this they belong here [Music] so don't be surprised as the story takes flight from here in the women's all-around in tokyo when they dreamed they dreamed of this night and whether they expected to have this opportunity or not jade carey and suny lee have a chance to join a list that includes names like mary lou retton carly patterson nastia luken gabby douglas and simone files [Music] so after two rotations it's rebecca andrade with the lead but it's less than a tenth of a point over suny lee jade carey right now in sixth guys we just saw suny lee on uneven bars take me into what makes her so good well a whole bunch of things and it starts right at the beginning of the routine this first release move take a look at the height that she gets when she is right on top of the bar in the body position hips are completely stretched open so impressive nobody in the world does it like this and then from that huge air she's gotta transition down to the low bar and she's gonna do a back laid out somersault with a full twist look at the height and now her goal is to see that bar as soon as she can her eyes are glued on it grab the bar she has to have good support on the bar because it's not over she's got to be able to get her toes back to the bar and you're watching this in super slow motion this all happens in the blink of an eye now look right here she has to pass her feet above the low bar so she doesn't hit her feet on the bar in order to do this release move very difficult again not many gymnasts do it going towards the low bar and look at her eyes just spotting the bar the entire time as soon as she lets go just absolute precision and what does the gymnast need every single one of them got to get the speed you need power because you got to fly high and then you got to stick the landing gymnastics 101 baby so an event that sunni expected to make a move and she has done so here in the all around tonight so over the balance beam now and jade carey whether dan ryan out there getting set midway through here about 1.2 points behind in terms of the top spot we saw that final moment before she mounted the balance beam sometimes no words are needed just a simple look in the eye and a head nod from your dad to let you know it's gonna be okay [Music] big combination right here three elements in a row handspring [Music] [Applause] a fall is a full point in deduction that's really going to derail any metal chance for her in the all-around i would say she had such a great balance beam routine in qualifications and i was shocked i think you were too nasty at the score that she was eventually given she was a little shocked as well really it was the difficulty and the execution a few of her dance elements the switch leaves maybe not full 180 degrees split but big dismount right here and that was a great recovery from jade but you know it in the moment as an athlete and sometimes teammates and dad are there to console you know what guys you remember the good you remember the bad you remember the important this moment right now is one both of them will always remember for the rest of their lives not only the night but you know that adversity and again it's not always about the scores the placements the medals it's about the experiences and especially being able to experience this with her dad right next to her but look right there just totally off a lot of times it if we're looking at a view like this you you can't even really see it but right away she is just drifting to the left side of your screen instantly on that second layout again an individual competition but their teammates their sisters they are going to support and cheer each other on throughout the whole thing now looking up at the number well that is eleven five three three and in terms of teammates maybe even closer in these games than any other because they're in a hotel they've been around each other they're not in the olympic village you're not allowed to go anywhere else and you don't have anybody else you know your families aren't here to support you having gone through this entire thing the olympics being postponed for an entire year they have gone through something that nobody else will understand in the look of disappointment for jade carey with suny lee still to come it'll be two russians back to back here in the second to last rotation of the evening vladislava orozova will be first angelina melnikova will be next and we'll take you back to that team final it's that point second to last rotation on beam critical part of the night u.s trying to mount a comeback the russians had the lead and really she was pretty shaky throughout the entire routine huge mistake right there full point as we mentioned and it just kept getting worse for the russian team another fall tim it looked like the door was opening for the u.s it absolutely did and then victoria listoonnova was the last to go for the russian olympic committee and kind of saved a little bit came back with a great routine and then the final rotation is when they sealed it but right now you would hope not memories of the last balance beam routine yeah absolutely she was good in qualification scored a 14.0 and she's lovely on the event [Music] the good thing for her and for angelina melnikova is that that memory got erased by winning an olympic team gold medal probably yes all right here we go first of two big mount she'll do a round off onto the board back layout step out awesome this is where she came off in the team final two back handsprings into the back layout perfect today not this time [Music] [Applause] [Music] really fighting combination into the dismount [Applause] [Music] [Applause] she was in fourth after the second rotation right behind melnikova and the last time a woman from russia won the all-around it was 1988 it has been a while [Music] so take your cell phone put it in the middle of the living room floor and envision yourself doing this a roundup back layout step out on it did you think about it what did that feel like so envision it don't actually do it no don't do it here's that dismount so she does a roundoff backhand spring into a two and a half twist a little their legs are a little bit crossed in the air hop to the side [Music] difficulty five nine eight point three for execution got a smile on her face fourteen point two it's in green so much better than the team final for razava and she was about six tenths of a point off the lead after two rotations right on to a russian teammate angelina melnikova [Music] this is a great leap oh boy she was supposed to connect that into another one good decision though her shoulders were very crooked that's where she struggled team final important not to hold back on the balance beam especially when you're nervous so far she seems to be doing exactly what you're supposed to do be aggressive this is cool bull twisting back handspring [Music] that kind of stuff was popular a number of years ago but she still does it which is great [Music] yeah this is impressive because she started off very nice not perfect and she was able to instantly get it back together [Applause] the weakest of the four for her she made it to the vault on even bars floor individual final but an outstanding effort and she's got one rotation left she was in the top three we'll get her number and still to come suny lee back with the number four angelina melnikova uh 13-7 may have lost some ground here got that one rotation left and not as high as she had hoped now suny lee who was less than a tenth of a point off the lead after two rotations that's where she is right now and two rotations left a critical balance beam routine coming up as family and friends john and yang of parents watching there right in the middle needed a new venue a bigger venue so many people wanted to attend and glued on this routine and this is a huge moment for her big test the uneven bars obviously was so key for her to make the best bar team that she could in order to catch back up to the rest of the field because her vaulting score and difficulty is a little bit lower than the rest of the field but all she needs to do here is stay on that balance beam i would say this is maybe her second best event she's astounding on unevens as you mentioned nastia and very very good here front row michaela skinner simone miles jordan child grace mccallum we've heard about all the challenges she's had in her life outside of the gym and in the gym simone bile says i admire her ability to take anything thrown at her and she certainly has and there has been a lot thrown and she has dealt with every single bit of it you run through your routine right now absolutely you're visualizing you're trying to think of every little correction that a coach has ever told you on every skill or at least that's what i did and you think why are they taking so long let's go [Applause] and thousands of miles away they hold their breath for the next couple of minutes [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] starts off with the tricky combination triple turn now she's gonna do the same oh normally she does a second one there decided not to do it [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Music] [Applause] stay focused here [Music] [Applause] [Music] her series fell on this in warm-ups was good though there we go just the dismount two backhand springs into a double twist there you go you know definitely not her best routine here in tokyo but she made it through she's going to take a deep breath and be glad that one's over really had to fight for that didn't she oh absolutely there were a number of places where it was almost all over so right at the start this is called a wolf turn and she spins around three times has a high value that's why you see a lot of gymnasts do it and it is much trickier to do than it looks she's a little shy of making it all the way around her i'm not sure maybe she wasn't left foot is almost off of the beam and here's that dismount so two back handsprings and when you connect two backhand springs into the dismount makes it a lot more challenging you have to stay straight but you can also get some more power out of that teammates happy of course family is excited that that routine is over as well it'll be interesting to see the start value that they give her here because she did leave out that second turn at the beginning scored a 14.2 in qualifying on this event see how that number compares 13.833 how about the difficulty yeah one-tenth lower than she had in the qualifying and the team competition because she left out that extra turn at 7.7 out of a perfect 10 for execution given up some ground in terms of what the number expected to be was all right here is rebecca andrade who has led throughout the evening from brazil and in some ways she has a little bit of an advantage she has only had one all-around competition to get here the americans the russians the chinese that we're seeing anybody that was in team finals they've done another full day of competition they're a little bit possibly more fatigued [Music] brazil does not have a team that has competed here in that final yeah they were so close to qualifying at the world championships in 2019 fell a little bit shy [Music] she was injured there so wasn't part of that team yeah they'd have made it if she had been healthy at that point in time you might be amazing one routine away from your biggest dream come true [Applause] and from becoming the first gymnast from south america on the women's all-around podium just one left and it'll be on floor exercise and she had to wait until the bitter end to punch her ticket to tokyo she competed at the pan american championships only needs 13.767 but not going to get there 13-5-6-6 that is not enough she's in forget first place she's in third guys you know i don't know about these scores both on the uneven bars and here on the balance beam those execution scores in my opinion were just a little too low for rebecca and you are looking at the current leader suny lee she's done three rotations she may be one rotation away from capturing the gold medal tonight in tokyo three rotations in one remains here in the sports most celebrated individual event the olympic all-around final and it could be a teenager from the twin cities who captures olympic gold suny lee leads the way and it's rebecca andrade now in second an inquiry was made about her balance beam routine and the judges took a look added a tenth of a point she's in second ladaslava orazova rounds out the top three just ahead of a russian teammate angelina melnikova [Music] and the top contenders finish up on floor exercise the first one to go vladislava or roosevelt from the russian olympic committee less than two tenths of a point off the lead on her social media she posted recently all dreams come true if you believe in them [Music] [Applause] [Music] so [Music] so [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] so [Music] won a gold medal just a few days ago had a great performance here and really it was about that mental recovery had the mistake on the balance beam in the team final showed she can move on from that have a great competition here every single landing too she was just tim as you mentioned earlier in the competition so steady so consistent throughout tim you mentioned the social media post you wonder coming in when she first came here as a 16 year old to tokyo whether or not those dreams actually included having a chance to win the all-around gold in the last event well she probably had those dreams terry but then she woke up right you know you got to remember we haven't said this very much the person that was supposed to not just win this but dominate it is not competing on the floor tonight simone biles 13.4 the number for vladislava now she waits watches and hopes [Music] four gymnasts still left to go including three in the middle mix suny lee is one of them going for gold in tokyo in tokyo under the watchful eyes of simone biles in the front row final rotation out on floor exercise up next in fourth half a point out of the lead angelina melnikova [Music] a bit of a struggle on this and the warm-ups double layout with a full twist not here [Music] [Music] [Applause] high [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] already an olympic champion here in tokyo she would need 13.733 to take the lead and obviously significant because if she does she would earn a medal could get the number in a moment and still to come suny lee for gold [Applause] looking intently up at the board angelina melnick of uh 13.96 she takes the lead and that means she is guaranteed a medal here in tokyo before she came suny lee set her goals here to compete in the all-around final get second place and then win a bar's goal that answer for obvious reasons simone biles not in this all-around final watching from the front row with american teammates and suny's family friends so many of them back home the twin cities watching and it comes down to this the last event and what she does on floor exercise trying to become the fifth straight american gymnast to win this gold medal [Applause] and she had to wait forever before that routine on balance beam and now made to wait again on floor you're part of that list nastia the olympic all-around gold and i mentioned those names worth repeating mary lou retton carly patterson you gabby douglas simone biles will the name suny lee be added to that list she absolutely has a chance to add herself to that list she needs to stay on her feet and also stay in bounds [Music] she was competing a three tumbling pass routine for most of the year has upgraded it to four passes she's the reigning world silver medalist on this event so she can tumble that's for sure she's got two very major passes first one is a double twisting double and the second pass a double layout it's so close at the top after three rotations she needs 13 466 with this effort now better than that number [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] so [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] pretty darn good this is the moment that she's going to remember no matter what the score is here of course looking back on her competition right now hoping crossing her fingers that it is enough for an individual olympic medal this is interesting though she competed a four pass routine in the other competitions i believe she only did three there did a double back for her last pass [Music] about the leader right now rebecca andrade still to come had that look of concern as i read as she left the floor the landings were really good she had one turn where she kind of fell out of it early i thought but the best landings she's done at the olympic games and she had a big deduction on that dismount the fourth pass she was doing the double back in qualifications she left that one turn off on the balance beam she lost a tenth there in the start value tumbling pass here 13.466 better than that is what she needs to take the lead here comes 13.7 soon is [Applause] rebecca andrade still to come melnikova goes into second place jade carey still to come but she's down in 12th place going into the rotation there is the current leader wow [Music] [Applause] it is suny lee who's atop the standings right now and it comes down to this one last rotation one last routine for the 22 year old from brazil rebecca andrade 90 seconds from the gold medal this is gonna be the most important routine of her entire career in qualification her landings were picture perfect [Music] so [Music] [Applause] [Music] and she was perfect on that landing in qualification she took a big step that was a 3 10 step plus the 110 for going out of bounds wow [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] obviously such an incredible performance that she had here tonight but she is thinking back on those two tumbling passes those two steps out of bounds yeah the first and the last pass everything else was was absolutely gorgeous she scored a 14.066 in the qualifying but like i said her landings were impeccable all of them that helpless feeling when it's now done you know you had mistakes you may or may not know the number that needs to pop up there it doesn't matter the placement will and all you can do is sit and watch she was too hurt last year to even be able to compete in the olympics if they were held on time and she thought she might never have this chance again but through it all she climbed and climbed in today she finally stands on top of a mountain regardless of the final result here yeah for her it is a story of perseverance to come back after those major surgeries and brazil has never had an olympic medal in women's gymnastics see in a moment if that changes 13.666 [Applause] and it's sudi lee who's in the top spot she is going to win the olympic all-around gold medal welcome to the most exclusive gymnastics club suny minnesota who joins that exclusive list of champions [Applause] [Music] and rebecca andrade will stand on the podium at the olympics tears of joy for team brazil as well they have never won an olympic medal in women's gymnastics [Applause] [Music] he's a little happy [Applause] as jane carey is about to close it out on floor too far back starting the last rotation to realistically hope to make it to the podium [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Applause] [Music] and a step out of bounds only one tenth of a point dad and another look at that moment when she realizes she is the olympic champion and then every dream she had as a young girl has come true and all the hard work has paid off and they realize it too and all the sacrifice that your family went through for you to get here and they're gonna enjoy it with you even though they're thousands of miles away [Music] suny lee the fifth straight american gymnast to win the women's all-around gold medal here in tokyo [Music] back in tokyo as the celebrations and the hugs continue for the now olympic champion it is suny lee who captures the gold medal here at the olympics rebecca andranze of brazil the silver and angelina melnikova of the russian olympic committee the bronze medal jade carey ends up in eighth suny lee has made her way over to speak with andrea minnesota say hello to your olympic gold medalist [Applause] [Music] i'm going to start crying i miss you guys thank you for watching you had every you had everyone there in tears your family's about 3 600 miles away but how much did you feel their presence out there tonight well i knew they were watching and i knew i just wanted to go out there and do my best i didn't think i would come out on top but that's always the goal i mean it's just been so crazy i'm so happy that my family was watching they're here with me virtually i wish they were here in real life but that's okay this has been a dream of yours and your family for such a long time it's been a tough couple of years what are the emotions wrapped around that gold medal it just feels so surreal like it doesn't even feel like real life like an olympic gold champion like it just doesn't make sense but i'm super excited i'm so proud of myself i've been working towards this my whole life and it just feels amazing tight competition came down to that final rotation you got off the floor you looked a little bit concerned the moment you found out that you had done enough can you tell us what was going through your mind um well i knew the floor routine was going to be better if i just took out the last pass so i just kind of like was hoping i missed my turn so i was kind of worried but as soon as i saw my score come up i knew that i was like in the top and i was just it just was a crazy moment i just started crying with my coach we've both worked towards this and it's been our goal we've talked so much about your family and how close you all are especially your relationship with your dad how much has he inspired you with his fight he's inspired me throughout everything he is my biggest supporter and i definitely would not be here without him his whole injury and just the whole story just inspires me every single day to be better because he's going through something that's way worse than what i'm going through but my whole family has been my biggest supporters and i love you guys all so you're not done yet you still have a couple of event finals to come but how do you celebrate this um i don't even know i'm gonna go eat a pizza like that's all i've been craving this whole time but yeah i'm really excited and i just gotta stay focused for bison beam all right congratulations and best of luck along the way thank you all right andrea thanks pizza's on you tonight by the way uh tim nastia let me ask you what you make of what you saw tonight nastya you know what it's like the journey and then that realization of the dream can you take us there at all it's really hard to take you there because it is so surreal and she's not really gonna even believe it for i think a few days a few weeks a few months but she did exactly what she needed to do she stepped up to the plate and she had one of the best meets of her entire life suny your life will be changed forever and tim it's not just tonight but it's what you've been through to get here oh absolutely every single kid that starts out in the sport of gymnastics they dream about going to the olympic games and the pinnacle is always especially from the beginning it's the all-around now bars is critical for suny she could win another gold medal there but she proved tonight showed the world that she is an all-around champion and in the end after all that's taken place it is an american that will step up to the top step of the podium in the all-around at the olympics suny lee your life has just changed you

Channel: NBC Sports

Views: 439,884

Keywords: Olympics, suni lee, tokyo 2020, suni lee gold medal, suni lee gold medal performance, suni lee all around gold, suni lee beam, suni lee bars, suni lee floor, suni lee vault, suni lee 2021, suni lee olympics, suni lee all around final, suni lee simone biles, suni lee olympics 2021, gymnastics tokyo

Id: 7dzUAi8QWVI

Length: 77min 13sec (4633 seconds)

Published: Thu Oct 21 2021