Suni Lee’s path to success at the Paris Olympics has been filled with difficulties. In 2023, doctors diagnosed her with two kidney diseases, putting not just her chances at the Olympics but her entire career in jeopardy. She started experiencing symptoms like headaches, cramping, and nausea. Furthermore, experts declared that the diseases were not curable. Lee then decided to step away from the Auburn University gymnastics team.

However, instead of giving up on her career, she persevered and modified her training program to better suit her. She even started managing her kidneys in a better way, thus getting permission to compete in Paris. After coming in second at the trials, she confirmed her spot. There, she ended up winning three medals: 1 gold and 2 bronze. She won the gold medal as part of the US team at the Artistic Team All Around. Her teammates backed her as they gave her motivation to win the medal. One of them, Jordan Chiles, recently spoke about it on a podcast.

Jordan Chiles talks about how Team USA motivated Suni Lee to be in top form despite her disease

At the Way Up with Angela Podcast, Jordan Chiles opened up about Suni Lee’s problems in the lead-up to Paris and how they talked about them before their competition. The host asked about whether the teammates played any part in motivating her. She said, “Yes, a hundred percent. We did have a conversation before team finals even happened, and I realized there was just something off about her. I was like, ‘Suni, what is going on? You’re very quiet… but when you’re outside the gym, there’s just things; you’re not the same person, like, I feel like you’re shying from something,’ and we just all had a conversation about it, and we were told telling her like, ‘You have to own; you have to stand your ground.'”

While trying to re-ignite confidence in her, Chiles referred to Suni Lee’s gold in the Tokyo Olympics as the catalyst. She said, “You just were the reigning Olympic all-around champion in 21 like you have a name for yourself. Go out there and be yourself. So we wanted to kind of put that in her.” She then talked about how they were successful in helping her as they went on to win the gold medal, with Suni being the vital cog.

She said, “I think it worked cuz girl was out here doing her big one. I was like, okay, period one after the next, okay, yes, do your thing, so I’m happy that we were able to have that conversation because it is hard as an athlete, just in general to, you know, put yourself in that position, like, for instance, Sydney McLaughlin just got another gold medal, like, hard continuing and continuing like that’s really hard to do, especially when you have that spotlight.” Chiles was referring to McLaughlin-Levrone’s victory in Paris and how she has maintained her consistency over the years. This was not the first time a teammate had helped Suni Lee. During her diagnosis, Simone Biles was a constant support to her.

Suni Lee always had a pillar of support in Simone Biles during the decline of her health

During the initial days of her diagnosis, Suni Lee seriously contemplated retirement from the sport. Despite her medication being effective, she thought that she had to call it a day to protect her health. She also felt tremendous mental pressure whenever she stepped up to the arena, as the crowd wanted her to be perfect all the time. These reasons led to depression and a decline in her mental health.

But Simone Biles stepped up and decided to help her, as she was an enormous talent. She wanted her to step up and instill the belief that she could come back to the sport. Biles stated, “She was like, ‘I’m not okay… believe in her gymnastics… I wanted her to trust in her abilities and know she could handle the tough moments.” All the plaudits she’s now receiving would never have occurred.