They say trying something new is all about embracing the learning curve. But for Olympic gold medalist Suni Lee, things didn’t turn out in her favor. She has been a wonderful gymnast and won three medals at the 2024 Olympics. But in her new adventure, she could not do much. What has she been to?

Suni Lee is in Montreal, Canada, on vacation and decided to swap flawless flips on snow to try skiing. But something unexpected happened. Though she can pass all the flexibility, strength, and coordination in gymnastics, skiing was not her cup of tea. Lee shared her first experience, and this would be her last attempt, as she says.

Caught in a tumble that was more “slip and slide” than “grace and glide,” Suni’s moment on the snow ended with her humorously declaring, “Never again.” Wearing goggles and a proper skiing dress, she can be seen face-planting. She has shared an Instagram story, and the caption reads, “First time skiing, omg, never again.” In the following story, she can be seen laughing about her situation while lying in the snow.

Lee’s friend Samira Ahmed filmed Lee during that situation, and the same story has been reshared by Lee. And the text on the video? It reads, “This is why I stay off the slopes.” This video is proof that if you are good at one sport, it doesn’t mean you will pick up the pace of other sports easily.

Skis can be seen as easy; Suni Lee’s skiing attempt made it clear that even gold medalists might not be the best ones on the slopes. By switching from the beam to snow and skis, Lee observed that elegance doesn’t automatically convey jubilantly over any area.

Her tumble-packed debut hilariously reminded everyone that world-class athletes sometimes faceplant—literally—when they step out of their comfort zones. Lee has shown her dedication to gymnastics since she started the game. But have you ever thought that gymnasts like Lee can also think of quitting the sport they love?

Suni Lee once considered quitting gymnastics

Olympic gold medalist Suni Lee has an impressive list of achievements. Winning the all-around title at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, three medals at the 2024 Paris Olympics, and much more. But everything seemed to finish all of a sudden. What was the incident, you may ask?

In February 2023, Lee woke up with swollen ankles, and the first thought that came up was intense training. But little did she know, the following morning she had her face, legs, and hands all swollen up. What has happened? She was found with two strange kidney problems. This situation made her suffer a lot, as she was facing swollen parts, awful pain, and throwing up all the time.

That’s when she decided to quit gymnastics; she was competing with Auburn University’s gymnastics team as a student at that point of time. Nevertheless, she stayed strong and even competed in the 2024 Paris Olympics and other events. Results? Well, everyone knows the results. Is she completely fine now?

In October 2024, Lee shared about her health with Yahoo Sports’ and also talked about the 2028 Olympics. She said, “The Olympics just happened, so I am trying to give myself a little bit of grace and let my body and my mental health rest as much as possible because my body went through a lot, especially with the kidney disease, then getting COVID, having to deal with the injuries as well. So, right now, it’s not something I’m thinking about, but it’s definitely still at the back of my mind.”

Suni Lee already has multiple accolades to her name. This includes being the Female Athlete of the Year by Sports Illustrated. She has also won the Sportswoman of the Year, which she received from the Women’s Sports Foundation in 2021. Lee has been in the Time Magazine 100, and the list goes on. Let’s see what the future unfolds for her.