Suni Lee's failed back bend attempt draws hilarious reactions from fans

Suni Lee made an unsuccessful attempt at a back bend, and fans were all over the Olympic gold medal-winning gymnast. Lee is a six-time Olympic medalist and won the all-around title at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.

Lee has been on a long break from gymnastics following the 2024 Paris Olympics, where she won three medals, and recently attempted the bend in a video posted on her TikTok handle. The 22-year-old couldn't balance herself and fell backward on the floor.

"no bc why did i scare myself out of it," an embarrassed Suni Lee captioned the post.

View on TikTok

Fans were surprised to see an Olympic champion fail on a simple back bend and hilariously taunted the gymnast.

"Mind u this is an Olympic winner right here," one fan announced.

Lee's teammate, Hezly Rivera, also joined in and commented:

"Oh yes girl get into it."

Another fan announced they were "cooked" when even an Olympic gold medal-winning gymnast couldn't land the move.

"If suni can't do it, we're cooked," they wrote.

Here are some more reactions:

"Olympic champions - they're just like us <3," a fan noted.

"Girl you're literally built for this wdym?," another fan joked.

"As a gymnast imma tell yall only 5% of us can do a back bend," one fan commented.

Fan reactions to Suni Lee's failed back bend

Suni Lee is among the most decorated American Olympic gymnasts and is expected to further boost her medals tally at the 2028 LA Olympics. However, her participation at the 2025 World Gymnastics Championships remains uncertain.

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"I was kind of letting them down" - Suni Lee on the hardest part of going back to gymnastics after kidney disease scare

Suni Lee arrives at the Michael Kors Collection Fall/Winter 2025 Runway Show - Front Row - Source: Getty

Suni Lee was diagnosed with two rare kidney issues in the middle of her collegiate career at Auburn University in 2023. She gained a lot of weight, and not only had to withdraw from the World Championships, but ended her collegiate career prematurely as well.

Lee returned to the gymnastics mat in early 2024 but found the training hard. What was more difficult was showing her face to the little girls in the gym after she kept failing small training exercises.

“The hardest thing was just waking up and going to the gym, forcing myself, because a part of me was just so embarrassed and ashamed to show my face,” Lee told Glamour. “There are so many little girls in the gym that look up to me, and I just felt I was kind of letting them down, because I wasn't able to do a lot of things.”

However, the 22-year-old gradually returned to full form and fitness ahead of the U.S. Olympic Trials and finished second on the all-around. She placed third in the all-around at the Paris Olympics behind Simone Biles and Rebecca Andrade.