Suni Lee is feeling all the more confident after her dominating performance in the Women’s Artistic Gymnastics qualifiers in Paris 2024. Putting up a sublime performance, the Tokyo all-around champion was just short of Simone Biles’ all-around score as she notched up 56.132. Such a strong performance not only made her a sureshot for the all-around finals but also significantly boosted her confidence. 

In a recent episode of the Today Show, families of Team USA women’s gymnasts were seen sharing their experiences. Reflecting on Sunisa Lee’s mental state after the qualifying rounds, her sister stated, “After the meet she feels more confident.” And surely she should feel that way. Coming in at subdivision 2, Lee went up on the balance beam in the first rotation. Impressing the judges and audiences alike, Lee notched up 14.033, which was definitely a morale booster for the defending champion.

Lee also scored impressive numbers on the other apparatus. Her scores after the end of the second subdivision stood at: 14.133 (vault), 14.866 (uneven bars), and 13.100 (floor). As a matter of fact, the results of the qualifiers have been a boost for Suni Lee. At the very end of the day, Suni Lee did get pushed to the third spot due to Rebeca Andrade’s heroics; the berth to the finals is pretty much confirmed for the Tokyo gold medalist. As a matter of fact, the results of the qualifiers have been a boost for Suni Lee. After reeling with heartbreak right after the Tokyo Olympics, sitting pretty at number 3 on the all-around list seems like a dream come true for the Minnesota native. 

Suni Lee’s battle after Tokyo was an uphill one

After Simone Biles withdrew from Tokyo due to her dreaded ‘twisties’, Suni Lee was the one who gobbled up the opportunity. However, after winning the gold, she faced a flurry of challenges. Firstly, Lee became overly famous, which led to serious privacy concerns for the gymnasts. Incidences of stalking and unwanted attention went to such a level that Lee resorted to taking online classes. 

Next up, Lee faced a swarm of criticism, where the naysayers outright disregarded her well-earned Olympic gold medal. A section of the fans stated that the then-18-year-old was not credible enough to be a gold medalist. She only won because Simone Biles withdrew. As an athlete, getting disregarded for one’s achievements is the last thing one would want. Such raw heat puts excessive pressure on Suni Lee’s mental health. Unfortunately, her bad times were just about to get started. 

After her meeting in Georgia in 2022, Lee found her ankles swollen. Initially, it was presumed to be some kind of injury she picked up from her gymnastics routine. However, one unfortunate morning, Lee woke up swollen all over. Running rigorous tests, Lee got the shock of her life—her kidneys were not working properly. Digging up her family history, the gymnast learned that such a complication ran deep in the genes of her family. 

Lee immediately stopped training, and the doctors even asked her to quit gymnastics forever. Disheartened to the core, the Tokyo gold medalist headed to the Mayo Clinic to get her recovery process started. A number of drug combinations were given to Suni Lee that caused her to gain weight significantly. When she returned to the gym after five long months, Suni Lee was 45 pounds overweight. Thus, overcoming the setback and clawing her way back up the ladder was a daunting task. And while she has done the impossible, Suni Lee would want to tip it off with an Olympic medal to give her story a full arc.