By Fan Arch July 30, 2024 04:38
Photo by LOREN ELLIOTT/AFP via Getty
American gymnast Suni Lee won the gold medal in 2020 and winning everyone's heart, she looked like a very talented child but also faced many medical challenges when it comes to an illustrious career.
Injuries plagued Lee as a young gymnast, and before her Olympic dream could come to fruition, she had suffered enough broken bones also including injuries from a car accident in 2019 that prevented her from competing on floor exercise at nationals harmed muscles and torn ligaments for several careers. However, her remarkable resilience shone through as she fought back to become one of the shining lights in competitive gymnastics.
Training For The 2020 Olympics
Lee's path to the 2020 Tokyo Olympics was marred by a few roadblocks. She also overcame a huge health scare in the lead-up to the Games that almost compromised her race.
Lee started developing concerning physical symptoms in February of 2023, presenting with swelling to the point she could hardly walk and gaining weight excessively quickly. At first, doctors were unsure of what was causing this to happen but after some rigorous testing it became clear Lee had not one rare form of kidney disease however two. She was crushed to hear the news, and thought she may have never able to compete in gymnastics again as her medical team initially told.
Lee was undeterred and while gutted to have had her collegiate career at Auburn University come cut short, she made the right call in choosing health over any other desire. With the continuous support from her family, coaches and medical team she battled through an intense treatment course consisting of medication & specialized IV infusions.
Although the acute and long term pain of her disease would not make this an easy journey, Lee was determined to keep fighting for those Olympic dreams.
How Suni Lee's Life-Long Medical Struggles Continue to Affect Her
Fortunately, Lee's resolve and determination paid off when she received a memorable offseason injury that sealed her spot at the 2024 Olympic gymnastics team. Nevertheless, the kidney disease proved to have lasting effects on her body and mind.
It has been a long journey back for Lee, who had to adjust her training schedule in order address the changes with her health. She has worked closely with her coaches to have a more measured approach strategically in her training.
Less is often more when it comes to quality over quantity and she will pick areas of focus that may be opposite strengths alongside games where physical fitness is the key, mixing long easy session on some days combined with swift learning based rides.
Lee faced what she described as imposter syndrome and anxiety too, dealing with incredible pressure at such a young age while battling the doubts be it mental or physical from her Olympic achievements. She has spoken candidly about her mental health battles, working with therapists and taking cues from fellow athletes who have dealt with the same thing in their careers. With Lee in the midst of training to defend her Olympic title here, she is only too hopeful about seeing things like that even divorced from competitive gymnastics.
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