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Suni Lee showed signs of health troubles ahead of the 2024 US Olympic Gymnastic Trials. Lee will perform in front of her home crowd at Target Center, Minneapolis, vying for her second Olympic entry.
Suni Lee has been battling a grueling kidney disease since the beginning of 2023. The persistent health issues had her sit out of the 2023 World Championships as well. However, she made her return at the 2024 Winter Cup and executed stellar routines at the US Championships, finishing fourth all-around.
After qualifying for the Trials, she was ecstatic to perform on her home ground, Minnesota. But her coach, Jess Graba, revealed that she felt nauseous hours before the event.
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"She was a little nauseous this morning."
She was seen coughing during the morning practice and cut her gym time short.
On a better note, Jess Graba confirmed that her condition wouldn't hamper her performance at the Trials. He simply asked her to go up there and get it done and not bother about what was to come next.
"She’s fine. She got her assignment done. I was like, ‘You don’t need to keep going. Just be done’,” said Graba. (via The Associated Press)
On the other hand, Shilese Jones, the 2023 World all-around bronze medalist, was seen training for the Trials with a taped shoulder. She withdrew from the recent National Championships, citing a slight tear in her shoulder labrum, but planned her entry at the Olympic Trials.
Her coach, Sarah Korngold, confirmed that Jones' health was fine but questioned the gymnast's ability to endure the routines.
"She’s feeling pretty good. The biggest issue right now is just like routine endurance. Like, just we don’t have enough repetitions," said she. (via AP)
Jess Graba on Suni Lee - "Whenever things get tough, she usually gets tougher"
Having fought with a kidney issue, Suni Lee has proven time and again that she isn't someone to lose hope. Her prominent comeback story at the US Nationals stands as testament to her zealous attitude.
Ahead of the Trials, Graba unveiled that his tutee raised her uneven bars difficulty score to 6.4. She added an extra element to her Nabieva and Bharadwaj combo.
Commenting on this aspect of Lee's personality, Graba said that the gymnast toughens herself more when situations get tough.
"Whenever things get tough, she's usually gets tougher." (via Olympics.com)
The three-time Olympic medalist will look to add more golds to her repertoire at the Paris Olympics, especially the all-around one.
