It hasn’t been an easy ride for Suni Lee to get her name on the team for the Paris Olympics, but she isn’t an Olympic gold medalist for being ordinary. Just a year before the 2024 Games, the Auburn star was diagnosed with incurable kidney disease but she has shown the world again that her strive for greatness cannot be subdued. And she’s justifiably over the moon with herself.

Just days ago, before the Team Trials, Lee mentioned how she struggled to have faith in herself with her troubles, casting a shadow on her hopes of defending her title. But now, as she’s one step closer to doing so, Suni couldn’t help but look back at how tough things have been for her. In a YouTube video uploaded by TODAY, Lee and the other USA gymnasts talked to iconic journalist Hoda Kotb.

With 111.675 points to her name, Lee was the second athlete who was named to represent the USAG on the grand stage, but Suni’s battle with her illness was more than just that. “It was such a hard and incredible journey. There were so many times I thought about quitting and just giving up because I was so sick,” said Lee when the interviewer asked her about how her return to action had been so far.

Lee’s injury was so severe that she pulled out of last year’s World Championships. Not only that, she also cut short on a bright NCAA career while at the zenith of her abilities. Despite these missed opportunities, Suni managed to show the nation that her hunger for staying among the elites hadn’t dissipated as she competed on the balance beam and vault at the 2023 US Championships. Looking back, Suni Lee says it wasn’t easy for her to get herself to perform with the lingering thought of being left behind by her peers.

“It was so hard to stay motivated, to see everyone get better and I couldn’t even get back to the gym,” frowned the 21-year-old in the YouTube video. However, her colleagues came forward with an incredible display of support, something that helped her to rise above. “Constantly self-doubting myself, but once I had those people around me who lifted me up and supported me, I knew this was something that I wanted,” Lee’s face lit up as she narrated how she found help from the people around her.

A rough patch for Suni Lee & Co. is now to be cast aside

However, Suni isn’t the only one on Team USA’s gymnastics contingent who has something to prove to the world in Paris. Her teammate and the country’s most decorated gymnast of all time, Simone Biles,’ memories of the Tokyo Olympics aren’t particularly great either. After a stellar run, Biles had to pull out of the final because of the “twisties”, something that brought significant backlash from the fans. However, Simone, too, has been able to bounce back resolutely, as she proved her worth at the 2023 World Championships with multiple gold medals in Antwerp.

On the other hand, Jordan Chiles also has had her fair share of run-ins with heartbreaks. After a disastrous performance at the 2018 nationals, Chiles was almost on the verge of quitting the sport altogether. But an offer from Simone at the end of the year for Chiles to move to Texas and train together helped her rekindle the flame inside her.

With so many instances of fighting back from a pit all around Suni, it remains to be seen if she can dig deep inside herself and find the motivation to dish out more mind-numbing action in Paris, as Team USA stays hopeful of retaining its dominance in women’s gymnastics on the grandest stage once again.