Remember when USA’s women’s gymnastics team successfully pulled off their redemption tour in the Bercy Arena? For Suni Lee, it wasn’t just about chasing Olympic glory. It was about about overcoming an insurmountable challenge. In 2023, the gymnast had to deal with one of the biggest hurdles of her life. There used to be a time when she couldn’t even grip the uneven bars because her body was so swollen. The 21-year-old was severely ill.

Yet, none of that mattered when she stepped into the French capital. The Olympian proved her mettle at Bercy Arena with sheer determination and resilience. Suni Lee didn’t just nab one or two Olympic medals. She snagged three. The 21-year-old clinched her first gold in the French capital during the women’s team final. The defending all-around champion tried to defend her title in the women’s individual all-around final. While she couldn’t snag another gold, she walked away with a bronze.

Lastly, as she did in Tokyo, the gymnast bagged another bronze on the uneven bars. With this, she became the first American woman to bag two medals in two consecutive Games in the event. Isn’t this what fables are made of? However, as the dust settles on her dreamy Parisian stint, the 21-year-old can’t help but look back on her journey and marvel at how far she’s come.

Suni Lee expresses gratitude for the uplifting journey

It’s no surprise the gymnast turned heads at the French capital. But there came a point where she didn’t think this would be possible. However, she now boasts six Olympic medals, one of which is a shiny individual all-around gold from the 2020 Tokyo Games. On November 17, the Olympian shared a selfie in her apartment with a heartwarming caption, “being emotional but sitting in my apt thinking about everything i’ve been through this year and I am SO PROUD OF MYSELF for never giving up🥺”

In 2023, the 21-year-old withdrew from a promising collegiate gymnastics career. While the world wasn’t aware of what led to that decision, she eventually revealed battling with 2 incurable kidney diseases. It left her eyes swollen shut and gained 40 lbs in the two weeks. Undeterred, she wanted to compete in the 2024 Paris Olympics. But it was a tough battle to fight, given how she couldn’t even walk up a flight of stairs.

As a result, dragging herself to the gym every day was the hardest thing to do. She wanted to stay away because she was guilty. She didn’t want to let down the little girls in the gym. Solely because she wasn’t able to do a lot of things. Yet, when she did go to the gym, her coaches would have to keep buckets ready because her medications would make her extremely nauseous. 

So what is the ‘incurable disease’, you ask? Let’s take it from the top. Suni Lee had been hard at training during her time in Auburn. But on that fateful morning in February last year, she woke up with swollen ankles. Concerning? Yes. But the gymnast chalked it up due to her grueling training and went by her day. But her swelling only kept getting worse. It spread to her hands, legs, and eventually her face. The kidneys often help the body get rid of excess fluid. However, if they stop doing what they’re meant to, the fluid has nowhere to go and builds up in the body.

It got so hard for the 21-year-old to deal with her symptoms that she couldn’t even hold on to the bars. Yet, the doctors initially believed it to be an allergic reaction. After 2 weeks of this no change, they knew this was serious. That’s when her doctors decided to run several rounds of tests, only to discover that she had a rare, incurable kidney condition. The second one showed up shortly after. But here’s the thing. While she announced that she had been diagnosed with two separate conditions, she hasn’t disclosed the names just yet.

Suni Lee was told that her condition might evolve. As a result, she has been hesitant to share any specific details about them. For now, all that’s been said is that the Olympian’s conditions are extremely rare and that there is no cure as of now. The gymnast also hoped to turn back time. Yet, she came across another hurdle leading up to the Summer Games. What really happened?

The Olympian hit a minor bump

Suni Lee’s journey leading up to the Games was nothing short of extraordinary. But the road to the French capital wasn’t smooth sailing. Shortly before the Olympic Trials, the gymnast went into a relapse. As a result, she had to get an infusion. However, this worked in her favor. Before getting it, she had bad fatigue and couldn’t train to her best potential. 

Yes, she had changed her routine to the best of her advantage. Despite this, she pushed herself through the Olympic Trials and successfully punched her ticket to the French capital! In Bercy Arena, she knocked it out of the park by clinching 3 Olympic medals. However, self-doubt nearly kept her off the podium.

The gymnast had been through a whirlwind leading up to the Games. She wasn’t the least bit confident. But this didn’t go too well with Simone Biles. She decided to give her a pep talk, motivating her to walk in like the reigning Olympic champion. The 11x Olympic medalist reminded her she was good enough to be at the Games and was on the team for a reason.

The gymnast gives them a shoutout on her Instagram story. “I’m so blessed to live this amazing life with the most amazing people surrounded by me ❤️” Now that she’s done with the Summer Games, there’s a world of opportunities for the 21-year-old. What will she do next?