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Sunisa Lee acknowledges the crowd after competing on uneven bars during the final day of women’s competition in the U.S. Olympic Team Trials for gymnastics in St. Louis, Missouri, U.S., June 27, 2021. Picture taken June 27, 2021. REUTERS/Lindsey Wasson
via Reuters
Sunisa Lee acknowledges the crowd after competing on uneven bars during the final day of women’s competition in the U.S. Olympic Team Trials for gymnastics in St. Louis, Missouri, U.S., June 27, 2021. Picture taken June 27, 2021. REUTERS/Lindsey Wasson
18-year-old Suni Lee is the new rising star of gymnastics. In Tokyo 2020, she shocked everyone when she became the all-around champion, grabbing a total of 3 medals for Team USA.
After Tokyo Summer Olympics 2020, Suni Lee soon went off to college. She joined Auburn University, Alabama. There, she became the star recruit for their university gymnastic team.
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And now, Lee has helped the Auburn gymnastic team defeat their arch-rivals and emerge victorious in the Iron Bowl of Gymnastics.
Lee adds another medal to her tally
After Suni Lee joined college, she was super excited to make her college gymnastic debut. She joined the team soon under the guidance of coach Jeff Graba.
Recently, the Auburn gymnastics team have once again defeated their in-state arch-rivals Alabama very comfortably. This is the 3rd time they have defeated their rivals since 1979. And this significant win was led by none other than the 3-time Olympic medalist and star gymnast, Suni Lee.
Lee performed vault during the competition, getting some of the top scores of the competition. She even received a perfect 10 for her bounce-back beam. Lee was overjoyed to lead her team to victory and says that the medal is equal to her Olympic medal.
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TOKYO, JAPAN – JULY 29: Sunisa Lee of Team United States competes in the floor exercise during the Women’s All-Around Final on day six of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games at Ariake Gymnastics Centre on July 29, 2021 in Tokyo, Japan. (Photo by Jamie Squire/Getty Images)
“This is probably up there with the Olympics,” she said referring to her Iron Bowl win.
This just shows how seriously she takes her college gymnastics. Even though she is an Olympic champion, Lee gives her best to her college team also, helping them grab the championship.
The Auburn Tigers scored an impressive 197.525 team score, to beat Alabama’s 197.125. Lee was lauded as the hero of the Iron Bowl as she grabbed all the top scores, showing just why she made it to the Olympics.
“I felt like I had to prove myself”: Suni Lee
After her Olympic win, Lee went through a really tough time because of all the pressure. She spoke multiple times about it, claiming that the elite gymnastic culture was really toxic. This even made her doubt her win.
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And so, she believed that she needed to prove something to herself. She needed to be out there and give her best, and show her own self that she rightly deserved that medal.
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TOKYO, JAPAN – AUGUST 03: Sunisa Lee of Team United States warms up prior to the Women’s Balance Beam Final on day eleven of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games at Ariake Gymnastics Centre on August 03, 2021 in Tokyo, Japan. (Photo by Jamie Squire/Getty Images)
“I just decided that I wanted to do vault because I felt like I had to prove to myself this meet that I could still do it, and that I kind of deserve the all-around medal. Because I feel like I’ve just been in denial,” said Lee.
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READ MORE: ?It?s Just So Toxic?- US Olympic Star Suni Lee Opens Up on the Attitude Towards Gymnastics
And so she did. She not only made herself proud but her team and college as well. Suni Lee scored a 39.7 individual overall score, the fourth-highest in the NCAA this season. Coach Graba confessed, Lee as “the best athlete in the world.”
