“I’ve been back in the gym every single day" Suni Lee opens up ahead of 2024 competitive debut at the Winter Cup after a setback due to medical issues
The 2020 Tokyo Olympic gold medalist, Suni Lee, recently opened up on her preparations for the Winter Cup and the Olympic year after suffering from a health issue.
The 20-year-old had to end her college career with the Auburn Tigers after last competing in February 2023, citing a kidney-related issue. After grappling with the challenge for a few months, she made a return to the competitive stage at the 2023 U.S. Classic, held from August 4 to 6 at the Now Arena in Hoffman Estates, Illinois.
She secured a silver medal in the balance beam event. Three weeks later, she competed in the U.S. National Championships in California, bagging a bronze medal in the same event. However, due to the recurrence of the health issue, Lee had to withdraw from the national squad competing at the World Championship and Pan American Games.
Nevertheless, undeterred by the adversities in her way, Lee has set her sights on achieving remarkable feats in the Olympic year. During an interview with Olympics.com, she shared her rigorous training session of eight hours while being in remission, focusing on regaining control of her health.
"I’ve been back in the gym every single day, eight hours a day, and it’s been going pretty well. I’m in remission right now, so I’ve just been getting it under control and starting to work up into routines and getting ready for the season."
"I feel really prepared on beam" - Suni Lee gears up for Winter Cup 2024
Suni Lee will compete in the uneven bars and balance beam events at the 2024 Winter Cup in Louisville, Kentucky.
She will compete in the uneven bars event, in which she secured a bronze medal at the Tokyo Olympics, to get the "Full Twisting Jaeger on the bar" element named after her.
During the same interview, Lee asserted her confidence in competing in the balance beam event after enduring a challenging period of five months with irregular training due to health setbacks.
"I feel really prepared on beam. Bars… I’m feeling pretty good. We’re kind of just going to get the skill named and then doing a basic bars set. I’m just doing Pak through."
Further, Suni Lee also mentioned that along with the physical training, she was also prioritizing her mental health.
"It was more just mental, but also trying to figure out my health and just be as healthy as possible coming into the new year because I knew I wanted to not have to worry about it as much, or, like, just make sure that I was going into remission and not going to have a little break out before a big meet."