This article appeared in the July 29, 2021 edition of the Monitor Daily.

Read 07/29 edition

Why do these Olympics matter? Ask Sunisa Lee.

Gregory Bull/AP
Sunisa Lee, of the United States, performs on the floor during the women's gymnastics all-around final at the 2020 Summer Olympics, July 29, 2021, in Tokyo.

The Monitor’s Noah Robertson was in the stands for a moment that, just a few days ago, would have been unthinkable. This morning in Tokyo, America’s Sunisa Lee won gold in the women’s gymnastics all-around competition.

Before the Games began, this medal was already all but hung around Simone Biles’ neck. But when she withdrew from the team event and the individual all-around, there was Ms. Lee – a rock in the team competition and now, unexpectedly, in the individual spotlight.

Through these Olympics, Noah says he’s been thinking about why competition matters and whom athletes compete for. Swimmer Katie Ledecky told him she swims for those who want her to win gold – to give them hope and joy. For Ms. Lee, it is her father, who refused to let her quit when he was paralyzed in an accident. And her Hmong American community back in Minnesota – it would mean so much to them, her father told her. Noah sees this as the “strength of generosity.”

It was apparent, too, when Ms. Biles pulled out of the team event. Ms. Lee could have been resentful, or simply quiet. But she and her teammates were vocal in support of their friend – Ms. Lee’s admiration of her hero only amplified.

After her victory today, she hugged her competitors and took selfies with them. “She seemed very much at peace,” Noah says. Her golden moment, it seemed, had revealed no hidden superpower, but rather what has always been there, waiting for the world to notice.


This article appeared in the July 29, 2021 edition of the Monitor Daily.

Read 07/29 edition
You've read 3 of 3 free articles. Subscribe to continue.
CSM logo

Why is Christian Science in our name?

Our name is about honesty. The Monitor is owned by The Christian Science Church, and we’ve always been transparent about that.

The Church publishes the Monitor because it sees good journalism as vital to progress in the world. Since 1908, we’ve aimed “to injure no man, but to bless all mankind,” as our founder, Mary Baker Eddy, put it.

Here, you’ll find award-winning journalism not driven by commercial influences – a news organization that takes seriously its mission to uplift the world by seeking solutions and finding reasons for credible hope.

Explore values journalism About us