Suni Lee might not have been fully prepped for her run at the Paris Olympics. Back before Tokyo, she powered through a full Olympic camp and burst onto the scene as the new star of U.S. gymnastics. But with the COVID-19 outbreak pushing the 2020 Games back to 2021, Lee had to reshuffle her entire training plan to keep up. Even with the chaos, she came out swinging, clinching the all-around gold and making history. Yet right after her big win, things took a rough turn.

At first, Lee faced a wave of criticism for her Tokyo triumph. With Simone Biles stepping out, she took the lead, but the internet trolls had other ideas. They claimed she only won because Biles wasn’t competing, and the pressure hit hard. But, unfortunately, that was just the beginning.

By 2023, Lee’s health had thrown a wrench into her career. A serious kidney issue meant she had to step back from gymnastics completely, and at one point, doctors even suggested she might have to quit. Luckily, she bounced back just in time for Paris. Still, all the unexpected twists after Tokyo stole away valuable prep time. And now, even Lee admits Paris feels way more chaotic than Tokyo!

Suni Lee opened up to PEOPLE, and it’s clear this Olympic journey has been a wild ride. She said, “I think last Olympics, I felt a lot more ready going into it, whereas this one, I was kind of rushed and not really mentally prepared.” After all the whirlwind changes—winning gold in Tokyo, handling harsh criticism, and then facing a serious health setback—it’s no wonder she felt anxious.

“But at the end of the day, it all ended up working out, which thank God, because I was so nervous,” she added. Defending her title as Olympic champ only upped the stakes, and Suni knew the crowd would expect her to bring the heat the moment she hit the mat. On the contrary, her prolonged battle with illness had a significant dent in her self-confidence. Thus, Suni Lee started to get inside a shell. It was at this moment that her guardian angel appeared in Simone Biles.

Simone Biles gets Suni Lee into the shining lights of glory

When competing for Auburn, the moment Suni Lee entered the arena, the crowd almost went berserk. This was something that created significant tension inside of Lee’s head. Filled with self-doubt, Lee was unable to deal with expectations. She was also fearful that a failed Paris outing would make her haters double down on her ‘undeserving’ tag of Tokyo. 

Thus, with no other option left, Lee turned to the GOAT of gymnastics for advice. Taking a measured and careful look, Biles slowly started to instill the self-belief back into the Tokyo gold medalist. Speaking on the topic, Biles stated, “She was, like, Im not OK… believe in her gymnastics… I wanted her to trust in her abilities and know she could handle the tough moments.” Biles was also seen constantly cheering Lee during Paris, especially after her unfortunate fall from the parallel bars

Plus in the lead-up to the competition, she relied heavily on her teammates, especially Simone Biles and Jordan Chiles, for encouragement. Just hours before they took the mat at Bercy Arena in Paris, her teammates reminded her to carry herself like the reigning Olympic champion rather than letting her nerves show. That reminder had a lasting impact on her, making her realize how fearful she felt being there. Yet, she knew that, despite the nerves, they all deserved their place on that stage.

Surely, the constant support did wonders for Lee as she went on to win the Team gold. Doubling her Olympic joy with a couple of bronze medals in the all-around and uneven bars, Lee established herself as a champion gymnast. Acknowledging Biles’ help, Lee stated, “I mean, l’ve looked up to her for as long as I can remember, since I’ve been doing gymnastics, elite gymnastics especially, and it’s just really cool to see that she’s as good a person as she is an athlete, and so having her on the floor and just even get to compete alongside her has been such a dream.” Thus, with things getting brighter for the Auburn star, it remains to be seen what lies ahead of Suni Lee in the future.