By Adam Chau
In the press conference after the Olympic trials were over, with the last streamer down from the ceiling, and the roaring crowd at Target Center headed home, Suni Lee talked about how she almost quit the sport that gave her a statue in her home state of Minnesota.
“I’m so, so glad that I never gave up, because there were so many times where I thought about just quitting and just kind of walking away from the sport, because I didn’t think that I would ever get to this point, and I didn’t want to let myself down, but I’m so glad that I had people around me who kept me motivated and helped me through all of the hard times.”
Suni Lee went on to thank her team doctor, coaches, managers, and her family saying it’s nice to know that everyone is in her corner. She also expressed gratefulness for the love and support of the Twin Cities.
She has set the bar high for the Olympics.
“I think we really want a team gold…this is basically the same team as 2020, so it’s kind of like a redemption tour…I think this time around we’re so much more mature, just more grown up, knowing what we can do and can’t do…and also making sure we take care of our bodies and our mental health first.”
Thinking about her goals individually, she said, “I want to make all around finals, and then I feel like I really want to be in the top three for bars…and I really want to be gold, I need to be gold, because I feel like I always make the final and then I always mess up.”
Leading the pack, second only to Biles for much of the evening, sticking her landings on the uneven bars, and having some of her best results on vault, it seems very possible that Suni Lee and Team USA, will find that redemption and reach those heights in Paris.
AsAmNews is published by the non-profit, Asian American Media Inc.
We are supported through donations and such charitable organizations as the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. All donations are tax deductible and can be made here.
Our 10% off sale ends tonight at 11:59 pm for our fundraiser Up Close with Connie Chung, America’s first Asian American to anchor a nightly network newscast. The in-depth conversation with Connie will be held November 14 at 7:30 at Columbia University’s Milbank Chapel in the Teacher’s College. All proceeds benefit AsAmNews.
