Suni Lee has the spotlight on her now. Though colliding with an unforeseen kidney issue wasn’t ideal, it made her stronger, inarguably. The 20-year-old, who made waves on her first Olympic entry in 2020 Tokyo, will make her second appearance in Paris this year. However, in 2023, when most of the US gymnasts added victories, Lee wasn’t a part of competitions. But her recent statements show that she’s girding up to make up for her absence.

“I was in and out of the gym for about five months”, Lee, who couldn’t resort to the gymnastic medium to vent her emotions, said. But one thing worked in her favor, which didn’t let her start from scratch after a brief hiatus either.

Suni Lee credits her teenage training days

Suni Lee’s junior gymnastic career from 2015 to 2018 wasn’t short of amazing. At the 2016 US Classic, she made her junior elite debut, only to earn a spot on the Junior National Team the following year. She started by earning the uneven bars silver at the Gymnix International Junior Cup. Heading into the 2018 US Championships, she was one of the favorites of the US team. That being said, the countless hours spent at the gym during those days are bearing fruit now. “I wouldn’t say it’s a lot easier physically, but I think that… I guess it helped that I did all the numbers and repetitions in the gym back then because now, I don’t have to do as much to try and maintain and to get better at things. It’s more like quality over quantity at this point.”

Ideally, not being consistent with gymnastic training will come as a blow to many when the gym days kick start. But as coach, Jess Graba said, “She can snap back pretty fast because of all of her training that she can lean on and those experiences.” Lee is already seasoned to take her journey forward hassle-free.

Not the Olympics, but her biggest goal is something else

“I honestly haven’t really been thinking about the Olympics. I feel like my biggest goal right now is to get this skill named in Baku” – Girding up to attempt her signature full twisting layout Jaegar on the uneven bars, Lee will look to name the skill after her, ‘The Lee’.

READ MORE: Suni Lee’s Winter Cup Attendance Spurs Auburn University To Reflect on Her Time as a Tiger

“I know that if I just put my mind to something – then I can achieve it”, said the indomitable force who rose like a Phoenix. Looking back at her time in 2023, stepping down from the Auburn University and most of her gymnastic days were depressing. But since her “muscle memory and her skill memory is there”, she will make waves again.

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