Olympic gold medalist Sunisa “Suni” Lee recently gave an update on her health in an interview with USA Today.
In April 2023, Lee announced that she was cutting her final season of collegiate gymnastics at Auburn University short due to kidney-related health issues. The announcement came five months after she said she would be training to compete in the Paris 2024 Olympics.
Lee has not provided details about her specific diagnosis but has been opening up about some of her symptoms. In her interview with USA Today, she revealed she gained 45 pounds this year because
“I couldn’t fit into any of my clothes,’’ Lee said. “My eyes were swollen shut. It was just so scary.’’
The swelling she was experiencing also made it difficult to train.
“My whole body was swollen because I was retaining water, so I couldn’t do a flip. … So it was really different and I had to learn how to work through it,’’ she said.
In August, Lee made her return to elite gymnastics competition at at the U.S. Classic in Chicago. Her performance earned her a spot at Nationals, where she went on to deliver an incredible beam routine.
USA Gymnastics invited the Olympic gold medalist to its camp for camp for world championships selection in September. But the 20-year-old opted to decline the invitation to protect her health.
Are the Olympics still on the table?
“Obviously the Olympics are always going to be in the back of my head,’’ she told USA Today. “But I wake up every morning and I’m not like, ‘Today’s going to get me to the Olympics.’…I’m not trying to think too far ahead. because that can just add a lot of unwanted pressure and stress.’’
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