"It's so hard because I didn't want to do anything that could get me into trouble" - When Suni Lee spoke on doing nothing after being pepper sprayed
Gymnast Suni Lee was the target of an alleged racist attack more than two years ago, just months after winning a gold medal at the Tokyo Olympics. The Minnesota native told PopSugar in November 2021 that she was a victim of a racist attack fueled by COVID-19 misinformation.
Lee, now 20, said she was waiting for her ride after a night out with her friends, who are all of Asian descent, when a group of people in a car allegedly hurled racist slurs at them. The 2020 Olympic all-around champion claimed that one of the passengers in the car sprayed her arm with pepper spray before speeding away from the scene.
Lee stated that while the incident made her very angry, she couldn't do much about it given how quickly everything happened. She said:
"I was so mad, but there was nothing I could do or control because they skirted off. I didn't do anything to them."
Lee, who also became the first Asian-American woman to take the Olympic all-around gold medal, added that she wanted to do something but didn't because of her high profile.
"And having the reputation, it's so hard because I didn't want to do anything that could get me into trouble. I just let it happen."
Suni Lee prepares for 2024 Paris Olympics, does a 'full-twisting Jaeger'
With the 2024 Paris Olympics six months away, Suni Lee is training hard and shared a couple of new moves called a "full-twisting Jaeger". In the videos shared on Instagram, the young gymnast can be seen swinging backward with her hands reversed and doing a somersault with a full twist.
Watch Suni Lee's routine below:
As per Gymnastics Now, a 'Jaeger' is when a gymnast swings backward in reverse and does a front somersault, which, here, is in the layout position with an added twist. Lee also shared a video of her doing a step-out-to-back handspring mount series on beam, as well as a one-and-a-half pirouette on bars.
Despite being diagnosed with a reportedly incurable kidney disease which caused her to drop out of the NCAA gymnastics Auburn University team in 2023, Lee is set to defend her title at the 2024 Paris Olympics.