“She can pretty much do everything, but that doesn’t mean [her] mind knows it,” these words can act like a double-edged sword. But for Sunisa ‘Suni’ Lee, today it has worked positively. Today, the 21-year-old was on her endeavor to defend her Tokyo Olympics all-around title. However, the prize can be anything for someone who is coming back after defeating a load of constraints on her body and mind. For Suni, her prize has come to be the bronze medal at the all-around final. After winning the gold at the team final two days ago, today’s bronze medal shows that the gymnast is far ahead of all the self-doubt that has complicated her in the last three years. But today, the road to the first lane wasn’t easy for her. 

The names on the list of opponents looked heavy while the presence of compatriot Simone Biles on the same list made the job tough for Suni. Still, she found her way thoroughly, as she did in her last three elite championships on American soil. She put in an impressive 13.933 at the vault routine, while her score at the uneven bars came out to be the frontrunner. In fact, the queen of apparatus displayed why such a title correctly fit her name. 

It was a smooth landing for her after executing two full rotations on the bar. Ultimately, that flawless attempt gave her an extra edge, as the final score showed 14.866, the highest among the top 10 on the list. Meanwhile, in the balance beam as well, she continued to sprinkle the lights as she pulled off 14.000. These two numbers paved the way for Suni Lee, as before the final scheduled floor exercise, she stood in the fourth position, sharing space with Kaylia Nemour. Now all she had left was to diminish the gap with Alice D’Amato, who was sitting comfortably in the third position. 

At this juncture, the former Auburn standout had to rise above her performance at the team final. On July 30 at Bercy Arena, Suni contributed 13.533 from the floor exercise to help the US women’s gymnastics team win the team all-around final. But today, she had to go beyond that score as Alice D’Amato gathered 13.500 on the floor exercise. Today, nothing could feel tough for the former NCAA runner-up, as she took the challenge and jumped over the needed score to claim the bronze medal. 

With it, she became one of those 12 women gymnasts who boast of having two Olympic all-around titles. Above all, with the achievement, she can now proudly say that she checked all the boxes she wanted to after her return to the mat, defeating the kidney ailments. 

Suni Lee reflects on the words told to Aly Raisman once 

For the last several months, Suni Lee’s practice video on the bars attracted a lot of eyes, including the veterans. The gymnastic world had a hyped-up expectation from her, especially her announcement last year, to submit an original schedule at the Baku World Cup to register the schedule in her name. It was a full twisting layout Jaeger catch and reverse schedule on the uneven bars routine. However, she had to let the chance go because of her illness. But she kept the wish to herself. So, later, when she started to drop mesmerizing schedules on the uneven bars, the fans started to count the days and occasions to witness one. But Suni Lee was walking with a unique plan. 

In a conversation with Aly Raisman, the five-time Olympic medalist, she admitted to having a distinct mindset. Furthermore, she let the former US captain know about her plan for the upcoming days, which was to continue with the clean routine. 

Additionally, she added, “I just want to go to the Olympics and get the medal rather than like getting my skill named and failing on it”. Meanwhile, she named uneven bars as her favorite apparatus, and she also mentioned that she felt attracted to the new schedules on the bars. Tonight these factors played a large role in Suni Lee’s earning of the bronze medal. Let the story continue in this way only.