"It was really difficult having to relearn how to practice"- Suni Lee opens up on struggling during training after recovering from kidney disease

Six-time Olympic medalist Suni Lee recently reflected on making her return to gymnastics after battling kidney issues. Lee was dealing with the illness while training for the Paris Olympics after being diagnosed last year with two rare and incurable kidney diseases.

It began in February 2023 when the 21-year-old noticed unusual swelling all over her body. After extensive tests and diagnosis, it was discovered that she was facing not one but two rare kidney diseases. The condition led to weight gain and made training for competitions increasingly difficult; as a result, she announced her retirement from college gymnastics to focus on her health. This was followed by adjustments to her training regimen and regular physical therapy as well.

After months of battling the condition, Lee made her full return at the 2024 US Gymnastics Championships in June where she competed on all four apparatus for the first time. The same month, she qualified for the Paris Olympics and was visibly emotional as she was previously uncertain about making the team. Lee then went on to secure a gold medal in the team all-around and added two bronzes in the individual all-around and uneven bars respectively.

In a recent interview, Suni Lee reflected on how she and her coaches managed her training for the Olympics, noting that once they found the right balance, her performance turned magical. Lee said (via the 'Know Your Kidneys' segment with 9News):

"It was really difficult having to relearn how to practice and my coaches. I have never done this before, so we were kind of learning everything together and how to manage it when I was having an off day or a day that I was more swollen and couldn't really do as much. So it was just finding that balance, but once we did it created magic." [1:02 onwards]

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"I had to overcome so much" - Suni Lee after her remarkable stint at the Paris Olympics

Suni Lee at the Olympic Games Paris 2024 (Source: Getty)

After her Paris Olympics triumphs, Suni Lee said she was proud of all that she accomplished at the competition as she had to overcome significant challenges to reach that point. She was quoted as saying (via Olympics.com):

"It was really difficult, I mean I was still having to go to doctor's appointments probably every other week and make sure that I was doing OK. But also I think there’s a lot of things to be proud of this time around, just because I had to overcome so much."

"There were days where I was fighting demons, and [my coach] Jess [Graba] was just like, ‘You know what? I don’t even know if this is for you anymore. There were times where he was like, ‘Maybe you should just be done here. I was having the worst times," she added.

After an incredible 2024 season, Suni Lee is currently enjoying her time exploring the fashion world, attending high-profile events like New York Fashion Week and the Victoria's Secret Fashion Show and shooting for magazines such as Sports Illustrated and Glamour.