“I told myself I was coming back to redeem myself on bars, and that’s what I did this time,” Suni Lee shared with pride after her Paris Olympics performance. Let’s rewind to 2023, when Suni Lee couldn’t even grip the uneven bars because her body was too swollen—every lift, every grip felt like a mountain to climb. Fast forward a year and a half, and here she was, standing victorious with a bronze in uneven bars, her score of 14.800 marking her as the first American woman to claim two Olympic medals in this event.

With an impressive finish behind Algeria’s Kaylia Nemour and China’s Qiu Qiyuan, Suni had proven her resilience. But this was only a piece of her Paris story! Alongside her bronze in uneven bars, she clinched another bronze in all-around and proudly took home gold in the team event. Yet, amid all these shining moments, there remains one bittersweet memory that lingers, a dream unfulfilled, one that Suni has now bravely shared with her fans.

On October 30, Suni Lee shared a video on her Instagram stories, showing off her skills with a full-twisting Jaeger, aka “The LEE” at her gym, the Midwest Gymnastics Center in Little Canada, Minnesota. She nailed the front flip and the full twist in style, but still felt a little bummed about it. In her caption, she wrote, “will forever be sad ab this,” giving a glimpse of the mixed emotions she carries, even with all her amazing accomplishments.

So, what’s the story behind Suni Lee’s recent sorrow? Let’s rewind to February 2024, when Lee had just returned to competition after the tumultuous time year and she set her sights on the Baku World Cup in March. Her goal apart from making the Paris team? Something monumental—a full-twisting layout Jaeger on the uneven bars that could be named after her. But, as it turns out, fate had other plans.

At the Winter Cup, her dreams took a hit. She missed the skill and a major release move, ending up with a tough score of just 11.800 on the bars. Coach Jess Graba admitted they were only doing the Winter Cup to pave the way for Baku, hoping to check off the skill so it wasn’t a “question mark” going into the season. But that goal would have to wait.

Then the 2021 Olympic champion wasn’t assigned to the Baku World Cup, and that coveted international meet—and her shot at the skill name—slipped out of reach. Chellsie Memmel, technical lead for the U.S. women’s team, hinted that a Baku assignment wasn’t guaranteed. “If we’re sending someone just to do two events, who isn’t currently on the national team, they need to place high,” she said.

“It obviously wasn’t what I wanted, but in all honesty, I think that it’s good that it happened here rather than somewhere else,” she told reporters after her bad day at the Winter Cup. To get a skill named after a gymnast, they’ve got to nail it perfectly without a major fault at a big event like the Olympics or World Championships. But after missing that shot at the Baku World Cup, and despite her Paris Olympic success, Suni Lee is still feeling the sting of not being able to pull off her signature move on the international stage.

Let’s be real, nailing the full-twisting layout Jaeger on the uneven bars is no walk in the park! This jaw-dropping move demands a gymnast to swing back, then flip forward while twisting, all before catching that high bar again. Earlier this year, USA Gymnastics gave Suni, “The Lee,” an impressive H difficulty rating for domestic competition. Gymnastics moves are rated based on their difficulty, with a scale ranging from A to J, each linked to a specific D-value.

A starts at 0.1, B at 0.2, and it goes all the way to J, which is worth a hefty 1.0. An H-rated move like Suni’s carries a D-value of 0.8, making it one of the toughest out there! While she didn’t get to show off this move at the Paris Olympics, she did reflect on how her performances on the uneven bars stacked up between Tokyo and Paris!

Suni Lee compares it all!

Suni Lee’s comeback to the Olympics is nothing short of incredible. After battling two tough kidney diseases that made even walking upstairs a challenge, she never lost sight of her dream to compete again. She fought through the ups and downs, made it to the trials, and earned her spot in Paris, ready to shine. In Paris, Suni matched her Tokyo success by grabbing three Olympic medals, and it was truly amazing to see.

But she wasn’t just reliving the past; she felt like a better gymnast this time around. After sharing a side-by-side clip of her routines from Tokyo and Paris, she joked, “Haha, omg, I haven’t watched my 2020 bar routine since the Olympics, my trauma. Also, my bars now are so much cleaner than before. Why didn’t anyone tell me?” It was clear she had grown from her experiences.

Even though she snagged a bronze medal in both Olympics, the feelings were totally different. In Tokyo, she scored 15.300 in the all-around but only got 14.500 in the uneven bars finals, where things didn’t go as planned. This time, in Paris, she nailed her routine with a score of 14.800, showcasing skills like the van Leeuwen and a clean dismount. Yet, the memory of Tokyo lingered, especially with the pressure she felt from fans after Simone Biles stepped back. Suni boldly reminded everyone, “We don’t owe you a gold medal. You’re not the one competing,” showing her fierce determination and strength.