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Sunisa Lee Takes Bronze In The Olympic Uneven Bars Final

U.S. gymnast Sunisa Lee competes in the women's uneven bars final on Sunday at the Olympic Games in Tokyo.
Maja Hitij
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U.S. gymnast Sunisa Lee competes in the women's uneven bars final on Sunday at the Olympic Games in Tokyo.

TOKYO — U.S. gymnast Sunisa Lee has taken bronze in the uneven bars event final at the Tokyo Olympics, adding another medal to her hugely successful Games.

Belgium's Nina Derwael took gold and Anastasiia Iliankova with the team from Russia took silver.

Lee, an 18-year-old from Minnesota, became the U.S.'s best hope for gold in the individual all-around competition when Simone Biles withdrew to focus on her mental health. Lee delivered strong routines in every apparatus, snagging the top award in individual gymnastics.

The uneven bars is her best event.

Lee flipped and twisted from bar to bar in a sparkly blue leotard. She smiled and looked confident as she walked off the mat, and seemed a little surprised at her score, a 14.500. According to the international gymnastics governing body, "this one didn't have all the connections she's known for."

Derwael, Lee's chief rival in the event at these Olympics, scored a 15.200 on a routine with a higher degree of difficulty.

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Merrit Kennedy is a reporter for NPR's News Desk. She covers a broad range of issues, from the latest developments out of the Middle East to science research news.