Three short years ago, former Auburn gymnast [autotag]Suni Lee[/autotag] earned a gold medal in the all-around competition at the Tokyo Summer Olympics. Now, she will aim to repeat that performance at the Paris Summer Games later this year.
She will need a strong showing at the US Gymnastics trials that take place later this week in Minneapolis, Minnesota, her hometown. Lee will have plenty of support in her competition, but one gold medalist is backing Lee in a big way.
Shawn Johnson, a fellow Olympic gold medalist, recently shared her support of Lee in an interview with The Tennessean. Johnson says that Lee shows heart when she competes and is “praying that she is on the team” that will compete in Paris beginning in July. Johnson is inspired by Lee’s bounce back after a kidney ailment sidelined her for months and ultimately ended her Auburn career.
“She’s a sweet, kind, amazing young woman,” Johnson said in an interview with The Tennessean. “To see her come back after her journey with her health . . . it’s really, really cool and really powerful.”
In her first major event following her set back, Lee finished fourth in the all-around at the US Gymnastics Championships where she earned a silver medal on beam. Her road to recovery and competition has been grueling, but Lee has worked hard to return to form. In February, she told Olympics.com that her issue was in remission, and that she worked eight hours a day in the gym to prepare for Olympic competition.
“Things are definitely way better now,” Lee said to Olympics.com. “Of course, I still have to go to the doctors every couple of weeks. I just got an infusion. But they said that I’ve been progressing a lot. I’ve been able to wake up every single day and I’m perfectly fine. I also have been doing this for long enough now, I think, to know the right time to take my medicine, to be able to be perfect for in the morning.”
Lee’s final shot to earn a spot on Team USA will take place June 27-30 at the US Gymnastics trials. The 2024 Olympic Games will begin on July 26 in Paris.
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