Suni Lee Is Headed to Paris: Women's Gold Medalist Named to U.S. Olympic Gymnastics Team

Reigning U.S. Olympic champion Sunisa ‘Suni’ Lee has made the 2024 U.S. women's Olympic gymnastics team

The 21-year-old St. Paul native came in second in the trials that ended Sunday, June 30, at the Target Center in Minneapolis.

While Lee had struggles on the vault and beam, she posted the highest score of the entire event on bars, which has long been her signature and also won her a bronze medal at the Tokyo Games in 2021.

"I was just reminded of my goals every day and constantly surround by people who never let me give up, and I’m so thankful," Lee said after being selected, as she stood on stage with the other women.

She then grew too emotional to speak as she referenced her past struggles. "A year ago I didn’t even think this was—" she started, before being overcome.

She soon gathered herself and, while praising the "amazing ladies" alongside her on the team, said, "I can’t wait to be in Paris!"

Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE's free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer​​, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories. 

She competed against more than a dozen other athletes, including four-time Olympic champion Simone Biles, for one of five coveted spots on Team USA’s artistic gymnastics squad.

The selection committee took into consideration both the athletes’ performances in the trials and their past experience when making selections for the Olympic team.

In her debut at the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo, which was delayed to August 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Lee was the first Asian-American woman to win a gold medal in the gymnastics all-around event.

Lee is also the first Hmong-American Olympian and has won a total of six combined Olympic and world championship medals since 2019.

She has faced challenges as well, however, including being diagnosed with kidney disease and speaking openly about how hard it was to adjust to life as a college student after being an Olympian.

Outside of her gymnastics career, she appeared as a contestant on season 30 of Dancing with the Stars, which she told PEOPLE was more challenging than the Olympics.

The PEOPLE Puzzler crossword is here! How quickly can you solve it? Play now!

With dance partner Sasha Farber, who also competed with Team USA gymnasts Biles and Mary Lou Retton, Lee finished in fifth place.

“I don’t think anything will ever compare to the work I put into the Olympics,” she told PEOPLE in 2021. “But I have to say, Dancing with the Stars [was harder].”

To learn more about all the Olympic and Paralympic hopefuls, visit TeamUSA.com and come to people.com to check out ongoing coverage before, during and after the games. Watch the Paris Olympics and Paralympics, beginning July 26, on NBC and Peacock.