MINNEAPOLIS — Families, friends and fans were cheering at MSP Airport Thursday afternoon for the victorious return of Team USA Olympic gymnasts and Minnesota natives Suni Lee and Grace McCallum, along with their coaches.
Lee and McCallum spoke to the crowd at the airport.
"Thank you so much for all your love and support. We wouldn't be here today without all of you," said McCallum.
"We definitely feel the love and support. This is absolutely amazing. Amazing to see all of your faces and to be here all together. That's pretty crazy. Thank you for everything. Minnesota represent!" said Lee to thunderous cheering and applause.
St. Paul's Mayor Melvin Carter announced that St. Paul will host a parade Sunday afternoon in honor of Lee. Mayor Carter told reporters at the airport that the parade will take place from 3 to 5 p.m. along White Bear Ave. on the city's East Side.
Earlier Thursday, Lee reunited with her family and appeared on the TODAY Show.
Suni's mom, dad, and siblings Jonah and Shyenne waited with Hoda Kotb and Savannah Guthrie on the plaza to see their gold medalist.
In Tokyo, the 18-year-old gymnast won a gold medal in the individual all-around, silver in the team final and bronze on uneven bars.
Lee, a St. Paul native, picked up an automatic bid to the Tokyo Olympics at the U.S. Olympic Trials in June with a 115.832, while posting the top scores on beam and uneven bars and actually putting up a higher all-around score than Simone Biles on the night.
PHOTOS: Fans welcome Olympians Suni Lee and Grace McCallum back to Minnesota
The road to the games hasn't always been easy, however. Her biggest cheerleader, her dad John, was paralyzed in an accident just days before the 2019 nationals.
During the all-around competition in Tokyo, fans and friends in the Hmong community joined Suni's family in Oakdale to watch her compete. Video of the moment the room realized she was coming home with gold, shot by KARE 11 anchor Gia Vang, quickly went viral – seen thousands of times on Twitter.
McCallum also won a silver medal with Team USA in the women's team competition.
McCallum, an Isanti native, was chosen to fill the fourth spot on the U.S. women's team by a selection committee following a fourth-place finish at the U.S. Olympic Trials in June.
She is a four-time member of the U.S. National Team.