Olympic gold medalist Sunisa Lee reveals she was victim of anti-Asian attack
Los Angeles, California - USA Gymnastics star Sunisa Lee revealed she was the victim of a racist attack just weeks after winning the women's all-around gold medal at the Tokyo Olympics.
The 18-year-old athlete was waiting for an Uber in LA after a night out with a group of friends, all of Asian descent, when another car of people drove by yelling anti-Asian slurs, The Guardian reported.
They told Lee and her friends to "go back where they came from" while dousing the gymnast's arm in pepper spray.
"I was so mad, but there was nothing I could do or control because they skirted off," Lee told PopSugar.
"I didn’t do anything to them, and having the reputation, it’s so hard because I didn’t want to do anything that could get me into trouble. I just let it happen."
The incident occurred in October when Lee was in LA filming Dancing with the Stars.
The gymnast made history when she became the first Hmong-American Olympian and the first Asian-American woman to win all-around gymnastics gold.
The incident is yet another in a disturbing pattern of anti-Asian hate crimes that have accelerated since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic.
Cover photo: IMAGO / PanoramiC