Sunisa Lee thought her gymnastics career was over when she was struck down by a rare disease last year and credited those close to her for a remarkable recovery that saw her win three medals at the Paris 2024 Olympics.
She was bedridden eight months ago with two serious kidney ailments, but with proper treatment she recovered to take team gold, bronze in the all-around and the mixed parallel bars final in the French capital.
“I’m doing much better now with the help of my doctors and my team”, said Sunisa Lee, who is the Tokyo 2020 Olympics all-around champion. “Having the support system in American sports definitely helped me a lot because there were times when I wanted to give up”, added she.
Sunisa Lee, 21, was part of the USA team at the Tokyo Games, which had to settle for silver in the team event after star Simone Biles pulled out of the race due to mental health issues. This time, the close-knit team took revenge and reached the victory in the team final.
“I feel absolutely amazing. I’m so proud that I was able to overcome everything and that I never gave up because I couldn’t be happier with how I did at this Olympics, and that’s what made it to the Olympics”, said the American gymnast.
She added that her teammates in Paris, which included Biles, Jordan Chiles, Jade Carey and Hazley Rivera, reminded her to believe in herself more.
“They explained to me that I needed to act like a reigning Olympic champion, to have more self-confidence. Having them by my side in difficult moments was amazing, I couldn’t have done it without them”, commented Sunisa Lee.
The next Olympics are in Los Angeles in 2028, but Sunisa Lee said she plans to take things gradually.
“I don’t know what will happen, but the Olympics are in the USA, so maybe I will participate. But I’m not completely sure about that yet”, concluded the gymnast.
