Suni Lee returns to the gym months after impressive Paris Olympics campaign

Suni Lee returned to her home gym for gymnastics training after juggling several off-mat activities. The Minnesota competed at her second Olympic edition in Paris and won three medals on the global stage.

Lee finished first in the all-around competition and was part of the silver-winning team at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. She also clinched the bronze in the uneven bars. In the 2024 edition, she contributed scores to Team USA's team-winning exploits and the bronze in the all-around and uneven bars events.

Shortly after, the Auburn University alum attended the US Open finals, stunned in fits by Tommy Hilfiger at the New York Fashion Week, and took a Mexican vacation before resuming gymnastics.

On October 21, 2024, Lee marked her return to her long-term gym, Midwest Gymnastics Centre in Little Canada, Minnesota, with a little time left for the 2025 season to commence. Taking to her story, she posted a snap of the empty gym, emotionally captioning:

"my home" with a pair of teary-eyed emojis and a white heart.

Suni Lee returns to her home gym; Instagram - @sunisalee

Recently, the 21-year-old received the honor of being named to the class of 2024 of Glamour's Women of the Year alongside track icon, Allyson Felix and former World No. 1, Serena Williams.

She also had a starstruck moment when she met Beyonce, a pop icon and one of the 21st-century's most influential cultural figures.

The gymnast and the singer attended Glamour's Women of the Year award show, where they were spotted embracing each other. (as per Glamour's X post)

Lee was a collegiate athlete at Auburn University, but she had to prematurely end her NCAA career early in 2023 due to a kidney-related issue.

Suni Lee thought that the hardest part of her day was going to the gym after kidney-related illness

Suni Lee after her fall at the Paris 2024 Olympics. - Source: Getty

Early in 2023, before she stepped into her 20s, the two-time Olympic gold medalist noticed her fingers and other body parts swell up. She found it difficult to grip the apparatuses in the gym and started struggling to even go to the bathroom or bend her legs. She was then diagnosed with a rare kidney disease.

Suni Lee left Auburn and traveled back home to spend quality time with her family and puppy. She also started therapy and journaling. However, when it was time to hit the gym, the Olympian was embarrassed to do so.

"The hardest thing was just waking up and going to the gym, forcing myself, because a part of me was just so embarrassed and ashamed to show my face. There are so many little girls in the gym that look up to me, and I just felt I was kind of letting them down, because I wasn’t able to do a lot of things," she said. (via Glamour)

Apart from her exploits on the international stage, the Minnesota native also made waves in the NCAA, having amassed the balance beam gold and all-around silver at the 2022 National Championships.