And on July 30, Team USA dominated, taking home the gold in the womens team final.
We didnt know what was possible.
We didnt know what was wrong with me, she said.
Karen Hickey/ISI Photos/Getty Images/Amanda K Bailey
Lees first symptoms appeared seemingly overnight.
The swelling immediately affected her training.
I kept peeling off the bar.
Suni Lee takes bronze on beam during the 2023 US Gymnastics Championships at the SAP Center in San Jose, California, on August 27.
I couldnt hold on, she said.
My fingers were so swollen.
It affected my whole body and how I looked and how I was feeling, she said.
Jordan Chiles hugs Suni Lee as she tears up after being named to the US Women’s Olympic Gymnastics Team at Target Center in Minneapolis on June 30.
I could not bend my legs the slightest.
I couldnt squeeze my fingers, she said.
This all took a mental toll too.
That time of her life was very, very miserable, Lee candidly shared at the summit.
I couldnt even look at myself in the mirror, she toldSports Illustratedin June.
I was just rotting in my bed.
I couldnt talk to anybody.
I didnt leave the house.
She was ultimately diagnosed with two rare kidney conditions.
Lee retired from college gymnastics to focus on her health.
On April 3, 2023, Lee announced that she wouldnt finish her sophomore gymnastics season at Auburn.
I have been dealing with a non-gymnastics health-related issue involving my kidneys, sheshared on social media.
My focus at this time is my health and recovery.
Even then, she remained determined to bounce back.
I will not stop pursuing my dreams for a bid to Paris in 2024, she concluded.
In fact, this experience has sharpened my vision for the future.
At times, she started to lose hope.
This sudden left turn was not easy for Lee to process.
That was probably the hardest couple of months, she recently toldElle.
I didnt know if I was going to be able to do it.
There were times when her motivation started to fall, she said at the Team USA Media Summit.
She pressed forward with modified training and returned to the mat with a new perspective.
After her diagnosisand lots of restLees team eventually adjusted her training schedule.
At the 2023 US Gymnastics Championships, she earned bronze on the beam.
This comeback was so much more than my return to elite gymnastics, Lee wrote onInstagramafter the US Classic.
In January, doctors green-lit her for the Paris Games.
On January 4, Lee received great news: She could likely compete in the 2024 Summer Olympics.
Thats when [Lee] started saying, I think theyre getting a handle on it, Graba said.
Im feeling a lot better.
So Im feeling like maybe I want to try.
Now, Lee is in remission.
Im getting a lot stronger, she toldElle.
To be here is quite incredible.
She shared a similar statement at the Team USA Media Summit in April.
With that came improvement on the mat.
Taking my time in the gym has been feeling amazing, she added.
All of my skills are coming back and Im just working on consistency.
Shes built back up to eight-hour training sessionsand her hard work is paying off.
On top of her medication regimen, social media breaks and daily therapy sessions have helped Lee stay centered.
My mental health is the number one priority, she toldElle.
Im just thinking of it as, its for me.
Im competing for myself.
Im proving it to myself.
Her confidence has slowly returned too: I feel like Im getting back to regular Suni.
And shes raising awareness with the American Kidney Fund.
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