?Not Being Able to Do Gymnastics?: Sunisa Lee in Death-Match Against Her Body Breaks Silence on Pressures for Paris Olympics

Sunisa Lee won the 2020 all-around gymnastics title at the Tokyo Games. Until recently, the reigning champion was on a mission to replicate the victory in the 2024 Paris Olympics. However, in a turn of events, Lee revealed that she is facing a major setback due to her body not being able to withstand the demands of gymnastics.

Sunisa Lee has been battling a kidney disease, which cut short her NCAA career. Now that she is back in the elite gymnastics world, the health issues have followed her and continue to impede her. However, the legendary athlete did not allow them to bog her down and delivered a winning performance at the U.S. Classics. Now, she is focused on bringing the same level of determination to the Nationals. Will the Hmong American be able to overcome this persistent health challenge and secure her spot on the U.S. Olympic team?

Sunisa Lee pushing her body to its limits

The St. Paul native was apprehensive of her performance at the U.S. Classic. She was even more nervous about falling short of the expectations of her team and fans. Before the performance, Sunisa Lee confided in coach Jess Graba about her panic. She revealed, ?it’s going to be really hard to have that pressure?. However, to her, the pressure was better than ?not being able to do gymnastics?. According to the Star Tribune, Sunisa Lee is ?taking it day by day?.?Sunisa Lee has learned not to over-exert her body, and for that reason, she has decided to limit her competition to the beam and vault events.

Next on her route to the Paris Olympics is the U.S. Championships, scheduled to start on Thursday. She will be competing against fellow all-around title holder Simone Biles for a spot on the U.S. Olympic team. Lee managed to pull ahead of the gymnastic GOAT three weeks ago at Illinois with a 14.5 score on the beams and 13.5 on the vault. Now, she hopes to maintain her momentum despite her health troubles. Coach Graba shared tear-jerking details of Sunisa Lee?s incredible perseverance and dedication to her training.

Sunisa Lee’s inspiring battle

Sunisa Lee could not go for her signature all-round event because her body would not permit her. She has made the painful decision to compete in just two events at the Nationals. Her kidney problems often keep her from training at the highest level and make her tired very quickly. The 20-year-old athlete also shared how sometimes she wakes up with swollen fingers that keep her from being able to grip the bars.

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Jess Graba has been working with Lee to devise a proper routine that her body can handle. He said, ?We have a couple upgrades to her start value on beam, but we’ll see how they warm up?. She has created a similarly modified routine for the vault event. However, Graba is very careful not to make it too strenuous for Lee. Before her diagnosis, Sunisa Lee was in top form and adding new tricks to her routine. Now, she is working hard to get into the swing of things and regain her strength.

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