"Crazy how it can be taken away from you"- Suni Lee opens up on extending her support to Jordan Chiles after bronze medal controversy

Suni Lee weighed in on fellow athlete Jordan Chiles' Olympic bronze medal saga and noted it was beyond her imagination how someone who worked hard throughout their lives would have to give away her medal. Lee and Chiles were both part of the gold-winning 'Golden Girls' squad at the 2024 Paris Games.

Lee, the 2020 Tokyo Olympic champion, had a hard time dealing with the kidney issue the past year and missed competing in most gymnastics events. But her resilience shone through in Paris, where she finished third in the uneven bars and all-around individual besides contributing scores to her team's pole finish.

Following the Olympics, her fellow teammate Jordan Chiles faced a hard blow when the CAS ordered her to return her bronze medal that she won at the floor event after the Romanian Gymnastics Federation pointed out that Team USA's inquiry for a score update came after the one-minute deadline. The scenario didn't sit well with Lee, who thought it was 'crazy' how a gymnast had to give away her medal after working hard for an Olympic podium all her life.

"It's very hard, especially being an athlete, you work your whole life for that and it's just crazy how it can be taken away from you." (2:00 onwards)

She also talked about the support she extended to Chiles during her hard time.

"I reached out to her like everyday, just asking to make sure that she was okay. I don't want to overdo it because I know how it is to be going through something and not wanna hear from some people. So, I just wanted to let her know that I had her back and I was here if she needed anything."

Chiles also contributed scores to the team's win before finishing fifth in the floor event. Then her fifth position was soon upgraded to third following her team's appeal to FIG. However, the win was short-lived, the decision was reversed, and Ana Barbosu of Romania finally took home the bronze medal.

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Suni Lee extended support to Jordan Chiles and called out the authorities for not blaming the judges

Suni Lee and Jordan Chiles after qualifying for Paris at the U.S. Olympic Gymnastics Trials Women's Day 2 - Source: Getty

After USA Gymnastics announced that Chiles would have to strip off her medal, Suni Lee was quick to extend support to her teammate through Instagram.

"All this talk about the athlete, what about the judges? Completely unacceptable. This is awful and I'm gutted for Jordan [Chiles]. I got your back forever jo, u have all my flowers and you will ALWAYS be an Olympic champion," her caption read.

Suni Lee supporting Jordan Chiles; Instagram - @sunisalee

Simone Biles has also been a beacon of motivation to her fellow WCC teammate, who partially took off from social media to keep her mental health in check.