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Suni Lee opened up about fighting three kidney diseases and what kept her motivated to keep going. She had a successful 2024 season, bouncing back on the mat, earning three Olympic medals after battling kidney disease.
Lee made her Olympic debut at the age of 18 and made her mark by winning three medals, including a gold. Following her Olympic success, she enrolled at Auburn University.
The American athlete continued her excellence in collegiate gymnastics as well, helping the Auburn Tigers to a fourth-place finish in the 2022 NCAA championships. However, she was forced to end her collegiate career during her sophomore year after being diagnosed with kidney disease.
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Recently, in the Human of HOKA film, Suni Lee reflected on how she endured three kidney diseases. She is currently battling with two. At one point, she even doubted a comeback to the sport.
“After competing in Tokyo in 2021, I went to college. I left during my sophomore year because I ended up getting sick with three kidney diseases at the time. Now I have two. It was just such a hard moment because I didn't know what was going on. Not knowing if I was ever going to do gymnastics again,” she said.
Lee further added that she was depressed, leading her to isolate herself. She said:
"I mean, I wasn't posting on social media. I wasn't hanging out with any of my friends. Like, I really kind of just put myself into a bubble because I was so depressed. But also realising that I could still do stuff in the shape that I was in pushed me a lot because it motivated me to keep going.”
The hope that she could still pursue gymnastics pushed her, and it was not a straight shot to Olympic training. She competed on the beam and vault at the US Classic in 2023, but again had to take a few months off due to her condition. By January 2024, she returned to Olympic training and, with the support from her family, teammates and coaches, had a successful run.
"I'm really excited to get more into fashion"-Suni Lee opens up about her interest in fashion
In the aforementioned video, Suni Lee further spoke about what lies next and shared her interest in fashion.
“This new era of me. I just want to start taking better care of myself. I'm really excited to get more into fashion. And I love giving back, but I also just love, like, taking a walk and going to the park and just kind of sitting there. Whether it's like journaling or listening to music, I'm just focusing on taking it day by day," she said.
Suni Lee is taking some time off after the 2024 season and has not yet decided on her participation in the 2028 Olympics.
