St. Paul gymnast Suni Lee made the Olympic team at 7:26 p.m Sunday. Never mind that there were still a couple of hours left in the Olympic Trials at Target Center in Minneapolis.
After defying logic with a ridiculous routine on uneven bars, Lee stuck the landing and let out a roar. The crowd responded by showing love and showering her with a standing ovation. As she soaked in the moment, Lee had to know, deep down, that she had done enough to qualify for the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris.
As much as the rest of the night was more or less a coronation for Lee, it was also a personification of the mental toughness that helped her complete an incredible comeback.
She legitimately thought she might have to give up gymnastics after being diagnosed with an incurable kidney disease. Now, she’s headed back to the Olympics.
“There were so many times I thought about quitting,” Lee said. “I didn’t think I could get back to this point.”
It’s impossible to overstate how challenging the past 18 months have been for Lee as she has navigated her new normal.
She had to end her collegiate career at Auburn University prematurely and spent time in a hospital bed as her doctors tried to figure out what was wrong. She made countless trips to the Mayo Clinic in Rochester in an effort to determine the medication she needs to take on a daily basis. She took some time off and only seriously started training around Christmas after getting the green light to do so.
Nobody would’ve blamed Lee if she wanted to step away from the sport she loved. That’s just not how she’s wired.
As longtime coach Jess Graba so perfectly put it when talking about Lee before the Olympics Trials: When things get tough, she gets tougher.
That was on full display at the Olympic Trials as Lee faced adversity once more for good measure and responded by showcasing the heart of a champion.
After a masterful performance on uneven bars produced a score of 14.875 and essentially punched her ticket, Lee shockingly struggled on balance beam. She fell off during the initial mount, got back on, then nearly fell off again before somehow saving herself. She finished with a score of 12.825 and walked off visibly disappointed.
Not that Lee was going to let that keep her down.
She has been to hell and back over the past 18 months and emerged on the other end stronger than ever before.
Think a fall was going to faze her?
She composed herself backstage, returned for floor exercise, then promptly nailed her opening tumbling pass to take the edge off. That seemed to restore her confidence, and Lee posted a score of 13.850 to get back on track.
She capped the competition with an exclamation point on vault, twirling trough the air, planting her feet firmly into the ground and posting a score of 14.100 to leave absolutely no doubt.
It became official for Lee roughly 45 minutes later as she was named to the Team USA roster.
The biggest cheer of the night came when Lee’s name was announced over the loudspeakers. She couldn’t contain her emotions as she emerged from the tunnel. She cried tears of joy as she celebrated alongside teammates Simone Biles, Jordan Chiles, Jade Carey and Hezly Rivera, as well as alternates Joscelyn Roberson and Leanne Wong.
“I’ve been constantly surrounded by people who never let me give up,” Lee said. “I’m so thankful because a year ago I didn’t even think this was possible.”
Her voice cracked. She paused. The crowd erupted.
After famously winning the gold medal in the all-around at the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo, Lee has earned the opportunity to defend her title. What an unbelievable accomplishment given everything she has been through over the past 18 months.
