Recovering From Two Kidney Issues, Suni Lee Risks With Jaeger Attempt at Paris Olympics 2024 Gymnastics Trials Training

Reigning Olympic gymnastics all-around champion Suni Lee is taking nothing for granted in her second Olympic run. The U.S. Olympic Team Trials, scheduled for June 27th, mark a crucial moment for her as that will determine if she secures a spot in the Paris Olympics. But before that, on June 26th, during her training for the trials, Lee showed her some supreme skills, but not everything went as planned.

During her routine, Suni Lee faced a significant challenge while attempting a full-twisting Jaeger, a complex move where she swings backward with reversed hands and then performs a front somersault in a layout with a full twist. Unfortunately, her attempt did not go as planned. Scott Bregman shared a post on X describing Lee’s performance, noting that she missed the Jaeger after successfully completing the opening part of her routine.

Despite this setback, Lee still managed to complete a series of impressive elements, including a Nabieva + Bhardwaj combination, a straddle Jaeger, a switch ring, a Maloney half, a Pak, a Maloney, a Gienger, a giant full turn, and a Full Out. Even with a difficulty score of 6.4 on bars, Lee’s performance looked solid, especially considering she is battling two incurable kidney diseases.

A pressing question on everyone’s mind is whether Suni Lee will be able to secure her place in the Paris Olympics, especially after her recent struggle with the Jaeger move during training. This challenging maneuver has never been successfully performed before on any grand stage. If Suni can complete it at a major international competition, like the Paris Olympics, it will be named “The Lee.” However, it’s inspiring to see Lee returning to her top form. Last year, she openly discussed her kidney issues, which led to a 45-pound weight gain.

Despite battling kidney disease, can Suni Lee make it through the trials?

For the past 15 months, Suni Lee has been dealing with a kidney-related health issue that cut short her sophomore season at Auburn University in February, two months before the season’s end. This condition also kept her out of the U.S. World Championships and Pan American Games selection events. Before this year’s Xfinity Championship, her last competition in all four events was on February 24, 2023, in an Auburn dual meet against the University of Georgia.

At the U.S. Championships earlier this month, Lee wasn’t sure if she had qualified. “I was constantly asking, ‘Oh my gosh, did I make Trials? Did I make Trials?’ And everyone’s like, ‘Yeah, duh, you got the red [national team] jacket!’” Over the year, her condition has become more manageable, and she is now in remission.

Despite getting back into the gym consistently, it has been far from smooth sailing for Lee. “Whenever I’m talking to my coaches, I get really sad because I’m never going to be the same. I’m not the same Suni; I’m not the same athlete.“ Despite her doubts, Lee has shown steady progress since late April when she won the balance beam competition at the American Classic in Houston, Texas. Two weeks later, she once again claimed the balance beam title at the U.S. Classic, holding off fellow Olympic all-around gold medalist Simone Biles. What do you think? will she make it through the trials ahead?