Roughly a year ago, Suni Lee‘s world came crashing down. She was so swollen up that the gymnast wasn’t sure she would return to the mat again. But at the 2024 Paris Summer Games, she snagged 3 Olympic medals—1 gold and 2 bronze. In fact, the 21-year-old became the first American woman to bag two medals in two consecutive events on the uneven bars. Team USA had dubbed this stint the ‘Redemption Tour’, and the Golden Girls ensured they pulled it off. But for the Olympian, this was so much more than just that. 

The gymnast collectively broke everyone’s hearts when she decided to step down from her collegiate gymnastics career. However, it wasn’t until April 2023 that she revealed the reason behind it. The 6x Olympic medalist was reeling from 2 kidney diseases. After working past those adversities, she shined brighter than ever in the Bercy Arena. But her journey to the world’s biggest stage wasn’t as easy.

Suni Lee wanted to compete at the 2024 Paris Olympics. However, the gymnast faced difficulty in doing several day-to-day tasks. “Bars, floor, and vault were really hard for me because I couldn’t even walk up a flight of stairs,” the Glamour Woman of the Year confessed. But she revealed that her support system always had her back. “My coaches would have buckets ready to go for when I needed to throw up because my medicine made me so nauseous.” 

The gymnast smashed those doubts during the Summer Games, but she wasn’t sure if she would make it this far. “The hardest thing was just waking up and going to the gym, forcing myself, because a part of me was just so embarrassed and ashamed to show my face.” It wasn’t the swelling that held her back. It was the expectation. She continued, “There are so many little girls in the gym that look up to me, and I just felt I was kind of letting them down because I wasn’t able to do a lot of things.” It was hard not to compare herself to who she was in Tokyo. 

On those days, Suni Lee would yearn to turn back time. “I had to get over the fact that I was never going to be the same gymnast anymore.” But her coaches, Allison Lim and Jess Graba, refused to let it get to her. “My coach would be like, ‘No, you’re this Suni, and you’re a better Suni,'” she exclaimed. The 21-year-old’s dreamy Parisian stint proved to her that her coaches were right all along! However, once the dust settled, the gymnast caused a stir among the gymnastics community. 

Was the Paris Olympics Suni Lee’s last hurrah?

The Olympian sent everyone into a frenzy in 2023 when she stepped down from collegiate gymnastics. “I have been dealing with a non-gymnastics health-related issue involving my kidneys,” she posted on X. All she wanted to focus on was her health and recovery. However, her triumphant comeback made everyone sigh with relief. But, during the final performance at the Paris Olympics, many speculated that the gymnast had hinted towards the end of her journey. 

“Last one, last one ever,” she stated when leaving after the floor exercise. In fact, a fan shared a video with the caption, “Suni Reposted :(((((” This only went on to add more fuel to the fire. But this isn’t the only time retirement rumors have swirled around the internet. Returning from her recovery break, Suni Lee had once stated how she had several moments where she considered giving up and quitting due to her illness.

In fact, the most difficult part was staying motivated. “Watching everybody get better, and I’m just like I can’t even get back into the gym and constantly doubting myself,” the gymnast stated. There was a point where she couldn’t even put on a pair of grips due to the side effects of her disease. However, her cryptic post 3 weeks after the Paris Olympics didn’t help either. Sporting a pink leotard, the gymnast perfectly executed the “Cheng skill” in a video shared on Instagram. But it was the caption that grabbed everyone’s attention. 

“Skills I trained but never completed, dumppp. I was so excited for this.” Suni Lee couldn’t compete in the vault finals, but she wasn’t going to let it all be for nothing. Even though she wanted to share her stellar skills, this only added more fuel to the rumors. So, will we see her contest on home turf in 2028? She hasn’t really thought about it. This redemption tour was all about showing herself that two potentially career-ending illnesses couldn’t hold her back.