USA Gymnastics Women — Sunisa Lee participates in a workout on February 05, 2024 in Katy, Texas.

Suni Lee prepares herself mentally ahead of anticipated Winter 2024 clash alongside Gabby Douglas

Modified Mar 13, 2024 12:31 GMT

Tokyo Olympic gold medalist Suni Lee is leaving no stone unturned to compete in the upcoming Winter Cup, where she will face the 2012 Olympic gold medalist Gabby Douglas.

The fans will witness a faceoff between the 2012 London and 2020 Tokyo Olympics all-around champions, eyeing the Paris Olympics at the Winter Cup scheduled from February 23 to 25, 2024, at the Kentucky International Convention Center in Louisville, Kentucky.

While Douglas is all set to make a comeback at elite gymnastics after a nearly eight-year hiatus, Lee will compete in her first competition after taking a break to recover from a kidney-related issue.

Lee is frequently seen sharing videos of her training sessions with her fans on social media. Along with her rigorous gymnastics training, she is also prioritizing her mental preparation.

Lee recently shared a picture of her training diary on her Instagram story that had "You can do hard things" inscribed on it along with her initials "SL." Sharing the picture, she wrote:

"Meet week."

Screenshot of Suni Lee's Instagram story.

At the Tokyo Olympics, Lee replaced Biles on the floor exercise after the latter withdrew to prioritize her mental health. Along with the gold medal, Lee also secured a silver with the team and a bronze medal in the uneven bars.

"We can go to Baku and get the skill named" - Suni Lee's coach as the Olympian trains in a new element

Suni Lee along with her coach at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics in Japan.

Apart from focusing on repeating the Olympic victory, Suni Lee is aiming to etch her name in gymnastics history by getting a skill named after her. Lee has been training to get the Full Twisting Jaeger on the uneven bars element named after her at the upcoming World Cup in Baku.

During a conversation with Olympics.com, Lee's coach, Jess Graba, informed that the gymnast will compete in the Winter Cup to earn a spot to compete in Baku, where if she executes the element flawlessly, it will be called 'the Lee.'

"The whole reason we’re doing Winter Cup is so that we can go to Baku and get the skill named because Suni really wants to get that out of the way. Get it out of the way, so it’s not a question mark going into the spring," Graba said.

Lee shared her excitement and showed confidence in executing the element now after training on it for two years.

"I’m just excited because I think it’ll be pretty cool having the skill being named. I’ve actually been working the skill for two years, so it’s taken me about two years to finally get consistent and catching it. But it’s never felt ready until now," Lee said.