Sunisa Lee Clinches All-Around Gymnastics Gold

During the Tokyo Games' opening ceremony, Simone Biles told her fans and followers that the team — which includes herself, as well as Suni Lee, Jordan Chiles, and Grace McCallum, and individual competitors Jade Carey and MyKayla Skinner — moonlighted as one another's glam squad. Most, if not all, Olympians participating in the Japan-hosted games are doing their own hair and makeup.

"Yes, we do. So if we're looking busted mind your business LOL," Biles, 24, joked on her Instagram Story during a fan Q&A session.



Skinner, who did not qualify for any event finals and has since departed Tokyo to head home, tells PEOPLE about the squad's behind-the-scenes prep and "teamwork" off the competition floor. "I'm not very good at braiding backward. I can't even do this on my hair," Skinner says pointing to her double french braid. "Jordan just did it actually."

The 24-year-old Arizona native adds, "I can't braid my hair like this, because I'm just not good. I'm not good at braiding. It's hard. I've been having Jordan braid my hair because she's really good at it."





According to Skinner, Chiles, 20, was the go-to hair expert for Team USA. "Jordan's been helping out a bunch," she says. "She's done Suni's [hair], Simone's and mine. And I think Grace did Jade's braid."

"It's fun to have cute, fun braids," Skinner says of the squad's coordinated braided styles. "It's good that we have some girls on the team that know how to braid because I would be struggling."

For the Tokyo Games, international spectators — including the athlete's family and friends — were barred from attending any competitions due to COVID restrictions and protocols. "It is such a pain," Skinner says of not having close confidants to help with hair and makeup. "I feel like, especially being such great athletes that we are, it would be nice if someone could just come in, get us ready and make us look really good in front of the camera."



For several of the recent (and final) events in her elite career, Skinner depended on her "lifesavers" — her sister and friends — to do her hair.

"In college, we had a bunch of girls that could braid so they always did my hair. It's really fun to have other people get you ready because then I feel like you don't have to have that extra stress about it," she explains. "My sister was able to do my makeup for championships and trials, so that was really nice. I feel like I'm decent at makeup, but it's always nice to have someone pamper you."

American gymnast Sunisa Lee's gold medal in gymnastics Thursday makes her the first Hmong American to participate and win in the Olympics. Lee said she trains daily for first-generation Americans and wanted to win for Hmong Americans. John Yang reports on the reaction within the Hmong American community with Bo Thao-Urabe, founder and executive director of the Coalition of Asian American Leaders.