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Suni Lee will have a busy time at the Paris Olympics as she begins her campaign at her second consecutive Games. She will walk into the competition as the defending Olympic all-around champion and take to the mat starting with the qualification rounds on July 27.
The American has had a difficult journey on her road to Paris, battling kidney issues that left her future in the gym unsure. However, she scripted the perfect comeback at the U.S Olympic Trials finishing second in the all-around in front of a home crowd at the Target Centre in Minneapolis to book her berth for the Games.
Now, Suni Lee will begin her campaign at the Paris Olympics on July 28, starting with the qualification rounds. She will take to the mat at 11:40 AM local time at the Bercy Arena, as the US competes alongside Italy and China in subdivision two. This round will serve as the stepping stone to the team, all-around and apparatus finals.
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The US is a heavy favorite to make the team final, and Lee will likely be back in action for that on July 30 at 18:15 PM. Individually, the 21-year-old is a strong contender to make the all-around, uneven bars and balance beam finals.
The all-around finals are scheduled to start at 18:15 PM on August 1. Meanwhile, the uneven bars finals takes place at 15:40 PM on August 4, with the balance beam slated to begin at 12:36 PM on August 5.
While it seems unlikely that Suni Lee will make it to the top eight for the vault and the floor, the finals for both of those events are scheduled on August 4 and 5 respectively.
Suni Lee on making it to the Paris Olympics
Suni Lee, alongside the rest of the battles that come with being an elite gymnast, was also forced to fight an incurable kidney illness that left her future in the sport in question.
After he diagnosis in 2023, the American was forced to forego the rest of collegiate season with the Auburn Tigers, and many were unsure if they'd see her at an elite level competition again.
Speaking to press after being named to the Olympic team, the 21-year-old revealed that she hadn't expected to make it to the Trials, let alone pull off the spectacular performance she had.
"We didn't even think that I would be here, so everything has been hitting me like a freaking roller coaster. I have not stopped crying since, but I'm just so happy. I'm so, so glad that I never gave up.”
“I’ve learned I’m a lot stronger than I think and I’m capable of anything if I put my mind to it. My mind wasn’t always in it for the Olympics. I just wanted to be healthy again.”
At the Tokyo Olympics, Suni Lee walked away with a gold in the all-around and a silver in the team event. This time around, she and her fellow Team USA gymnasts, Simone Biles, Jordan Chiles, Jade Carey and Hezly Rivera are looking for redemption in the team event.
