Suni Lee on her gymnastics comeback after kidney issues: “It was me proving to myself that I can overcome hard things and hopefully inspire others”

Olympic gold medalist Sunisa 'Suni' Lee has stated that with her gymnastics comeback, she has proved to herself that she can overcome hardships. She is also hopeful that her story can inspire others to go after their dreams.

In April this year, Lee announced she was ending her college career at Auburn early due to a kidney issue. This also meant her Division 1 NCAA gymnastics career came to an early end.

Since her diagnosis, she spent more than five months working her way back and building herself up. The 20-year-old finally returned to action at the U.S. Classic in Hoffman Estates, Illinois.

Looking back at her struggles with health issues and her comeback, Lee stated that she worried whether people would dismiss her because of her condition and doubt her competitive spirit, especially at an event like the Olympics.

After the American made her comeback, she took to social media to speak about what it meant to her, hoping that others would take inspiration from her in chasing after their goals irrespective of what they are struggling with.

“Feeling blessed & so so grateful. This comeback was so much more than my return to elite gymnastics. It was me proving to myself that I can overcome hard things, and to hopefully inspire others to never let life’s setbacks stop you from going after your dreams,” she said in a post on Instagram.

---

“We’re still learning how to work through it” - Suni Lee on her comeback after suffering from kidney-related issues

Suni Lee competes in the balance beam at the 2023 U.S. Gymnastics Championships in San Jose, California.

For Suni Lee, life is not back to normal on her comeback. The kidney-related issues have changed a lot of things in her life. Despite overcoming the health obstacles, they have had an effect on her in the long term.

Lee still experiences swelling, which remains unpredictable. She sometimes wakes up with her eyes swollen shut and at other times her hands get so swollen that she cannot fit them into her grips. Hot flashes and cold spells, headaches, and cramping - she is experiencing all of them, and some more.

That said, USA Gymnastics team physician Marcia Faustin has praised Lee and her team for accepting that she needs to alter a lot of things in her comeback and that everything won't go back as it was before she was diagnosed with the issue.

“Suni and her coaches have really embraced the fact that it’s not going to be like 2021. She has to listen to her body and…have this awareness and confidence in herself to adjust and to move training how she needs to, based on how she’s feeling and other factors,” Faustin said (via self.com).

The 20-year-old is well aware and stated that she, and her team, are still learning to work through it all.

“We’re just trying to adjust to it and still learning how to work through it,” Lee said.

While admittedly nervous heading into the Olympic cycle, Lee said that she is taking it one day at a time without getting worked up about perfect scores or medals.

“If I just keep pretending it’s not happening, then it’s just going to deteriorate by the time I’m actually at the Olympics, if I make it,” she expressed.