Showing their true worth for the world to see is something that helps every athlete keep their heads in the game. When the achievement comes on the grandest stage of them all, even better! Also, their families also get to share the same titillating emotions and bask in collective glory. For Suni Lee, it has been a long and winding road back to the top, and we at EssentiallySports can confirm that her parents and family are just as elated about her latest feat in the hallowed hall of the Bercy Arena.

Lingering kidney issues cast dark clouds on the defending Olympic All-Around champion’s hopes of returning to the quadrennial tournament. However, not only did she return, but she was one of the main driving forces behind the USA’s golden success in Paris. Moments after the Auburn star’s achievement, we caught up with Suni’s parents to learn about their jubilation.

Suni Lee’s family can’t help but feel the glee

In an exclusive interview with EssentiallySports, Lee’s family expressed their elation at Suni being able to overcome her health issues to add another golden feather to her illustrious cap. Our Paris Olympics correspondent, Shreya Verma, talked with Suni’s parents Yeev Thoj and John Lee right outside the Bercy Arena, moments after Team USA, the top spot in the women’s artistic gymnastics final.

Lee’s aunt beamed proudly as she noted how the entire team’s performance was phenomenal, but Suni, being their kid, was the apple of the eye for them. After a nervous chuckle at being confronted by us, Yeev confessed, “It was very emotional for me,” and said her daughter’s routine made her clench her breath. However, she could barely hide the pride in her eyes and didn’t try to mince her words about it, either.

While Thoj told us that she can now visit some of the tourist attractions in the City of Love with one lesser thing to think about, she did mention that Suni’s upcoming individual events are still lingering in her mind. John, on the other hand, acknowledged that he was feeling “Great” after what Lee managed to pull off in front of the world. Considering how the 2022 NCAA gold medalist had to jump over towering hurdles to get here, her family’s happiness can barely be called vanity.

Crossing mountains to get here

In 2023, Suni found out that she had an incurable kidney disease. The two rare kidney diseases turned her world upside-down and the emphatic student-athlete decided to end her NCAA career abruptly in light of the knowledge. At the 2023 US Classic, Lee scored 14.500 on the balance beam and 13.500 on the vault to qualify for the US Championships. While she went on to win a bronze at the tournament on the balance beam apparatus, the then 20-year-old decided to pull out of the World Championships and the Pan American Games. However, it wasn’t long before her passion for the sport and her hunger to prove herself once again got the better of Suni.

Lee returned to action in 2024 with the Winter Cup. While her performance at the event didn’t impress her fans, Lee soon cleared the air about her skills with a gold on the balance beam at the Core Hydration US Classic. Many fans hoped that this marked Suni’s return to the top of the food chain, only to be left heartbroken at how subpar her beam routine was at the 2024 Xfinity US Gymnastics Championships (she only managed to get silver on the apparatus). But the US Olympic Team Trials once again saw a muscle-flexing Suni as she blitzed into the Dickies Arena in Fort Worth Texas to scoop a gold and silver in the uneven bars and All-Around, respectively. Her stellar performance in all four rotations earned her a spot on the national team.

In Paris too, Lee died out above-14 scores in both her routines to help the team secure gold. Suni still has three individual events to look forward to at the Paris Olympics: the All-Around, the beam, and the bars. With how she has gained momentum in recent months, we at EssentiallySports hope that she can find it in herself to reach out and grab the opportunities staring in her face but the scruff.