“My Heart Keeps Pounding”: Suni Lee’s Family Confesses After Paris Olympics Triumph (EXCLUSIVE)

Six months ago, Suni Lee shared that 2023 had her “rotting in my bed and hoping that it would all go away.” Fast forward to the 2024 Paris Olympics, and the Tokyo All-Around Champion, who has been managing two incurable kidney diseases with medication, is now the sixth-most-decorated American female gymnast of all time.

Reflecting on her incredible comeback at the Olympic trials, she tearfully told the world, “Well, I was just reminded of my goals every day and constantly surrounded by people who never let me give up. And I’m so thankful because a year ago I didn’t even think this was possible,” as she fell into Jordan Chiles’ arms, the camera capturing her sister Shyenne Lee in the crowd, both of them in tears. Now, with Suni soaring to new heights in Paris, her family is right there in the French capital, cheering her on with a mix of pride and nail-biting nerves. EssentiallySports caught up with Shyenne Lee and their mom, Yeev Thoj, who watched in awe as Suni added another Olympic medal to her collection!

Suni Lee delivers a heart-stopping routine at the Paris Olympics, giving both her family and America jitters!

Earlier in 2024, Suni Lee’s comeback looked a bit shaky when she had some rough patches at the Winter Cup, struggling on the uneven bars and balance beam. Fast forward to the Paris Olympics, and she’s turned those same routines into her ticket to the individual finals. On August 4, as she tackled the Uneven Bars finals, her biggest fans—mom Yeev Thoj and sister Shyenne Lee—were in the crowd sporting “Team Suni” T-shirts and cheering her on with gusto.

When our correspondent, Shreya Verma, caught up with them at the Accor Arena, Shyenne Lee was on the edge of her seat, admitting, “My heart keeps pounding.” Despite the nail-biting moments, Suni pulled through and landed on the podium for the third time at these Games of the XXXIII Olympiad!

Suni Lee wowed with her third podium up against Uneven Bars phenoms!

At the 12th arrondissement of Paris, gymnastics fans packed the stands to see the Uneven Bars stars put on a show. Among the dazzling acts was China’s Qiu Qiyuan, whose routine is basically the stuff of legend. With a jaw-dropping score of 15.050 at the 2024 Chinese National Championships and a routine loaded with three F-valued skills, Qiu’s uneven bars performance is the hardest in the world. Not far behind was Algeria’s Kaylia Nemour, who wowed with the highest uneven bars score of the past year at 15.667. Her routine, with a difficulty score of 7.2, ties with Qiu’s, and her eponymous “Nemour” skill, first performed in 2023, adds extra flair to her dominance.

As the finals kicked off, Qiu Qiyuan impressed with a sequence that included an inbar half to front pirouette, a layout Jaeger, and a stuck full-in, scoring 15.500 (7.2, 8.300). Then Kaylia Nemour took the stage with an electrifying routine featuring an inbar full to layout Tkachev and a stuck double layout, earning a stellar 15.700 (7.2, 8.500).

Finally, Suni Lee wrapped up the competition. Her routine included a Nabieva to Bhardwaj, a clean van Leeuwen, and a full-in dismount, earning her 14.800 (6.4, 8.400). Competing last, she narrowly edged out Belgium’s Nina Derwael, who scored 14.766, to snag her third medal in Paris. Overwhelmed by her success, Suni covered her face with her hands in joyous disbelief. Already boasting a gold in the team event and a bronze in the all-around, Suni’s resilience has been nothing short of inspiring. What are your thoughts on her remarkable comeback? Drop your comments below!