• Suni Lee’s final performance at the 2024 Olympics ended in a heartbreaking fall, capturing the world’s attention.
• The public had polarized reactions, with some criticizing her stumble while others offered support and empathy.
• Behind the scenes, Suni battled immense pressure and serious health issues leading up to the Paris Games.

Suni Lee, the celebrated gymnast who captivated the world with her stellar performance at the 2020 Tokyo Games, faced one of the most challenging periods of her career at the 2024 Paris Olympics. Despite her impressive achievements, including a team gold medal, her journey was marked by a dramatic fall during her final performance.

The incident led to a wave of mixed reactions from fans and critics alike. Suni later opened up about the immense pressure she faced and the health issues she battled leading up to the competition, revealing a story of resilience and determination.

Suni Lee’s Inspiring Journey and Heartbreaking Fall at the 2024 Olympics

After competing in the 2020 Tokyo Games, Suni left her hometown of St. Paul, Minnesota, against her parents’ wishes, and headed to college at Auburn University. This move opened up a host of new opportunities, including TV appearances on both coasts and red-carpet events like the Met Gala.

However, her parents, Yeev Thoj and John Lee, Hmong immigrants who escaped Laos after the Vietnam War, had different plans for her post-Olympics. John explained in an interview that he wanted Suni to stay in Minnesota, do some work, and continue her education locally.

He mentioned that he was accustomed to Hmong girls staying with their parents until marriage, not setting off on distant adventures. “In the Hmong community, we’d rather have them stay home with us so we can kind of monitor them,” said Yeev, who had three other children living at home at the time.

“But in this generation, it’s different than ours,” she continued. Despite being a teenager with limited experience outside of the gym, Suni felt a compelling need to create a life of her own. She recalled telling herself, “I just have to do this for myself this time.”

Not long after settling in at Auburn, Suni ventured to Los Angeles for a few months to compete on “Dancing with the Stars,” where she finished in fifth place.

This marked her first experience living independently, and her refrigerator in the two-bedroom apartment bore evidence of her new lifestyle, her long-time coach, Jess Graba, humorously noted.

Despite her parents’ initial reservations about leaving the nest, Suni proved that aiming for the stars was just the beginning of her incredible journey. In July 2024, she joined Simone Biles and other talented gymnasts to represent America at the 2024 Paris Olympics.

On July 30, 2024, Simone led Team USA to a gold medal win during the Women’s Artistic Gymnastics Team Final. The U.S. team scored a total of 171.296, far ahead of silver medalists Italy, who scored 165.494. Brazil made history by winning the bronze with a final score of 164.497.

Achieving team gold and winning bronze in both the all-around and uneven bars was an impeccable result for Suni. However, her Olympic journey wasn’t without its challenges.

During her final performance, Suni lost her footing, slipping and landing with the beam between her legs before tipping over onto the mat on her side. This resulted in Suni finishing in sixth place, just one spot behind Simone.

Many social media users reacted to Suni’s fall, with one person commenting, “Embarrassing.” Another person typed, “Her nickname shall be ‘Fall Girl.'”

Other users were more sympathetic to Suni’s fall, with one person sharing, “I hope you are OK Suni? That fall looked extremely painful. You finished strong. Lots of Love and Hugs.”

Another person commented, “That was a hard fall. Seems like they are all exhausted too.” “That fall was weird!! Feel bad for her…she could have landed Gold on this event!! :(“ someone else wrote.

Another social media user added, “She was under huge pressure. She is good anyway. Bravo [sic].” An X, formerly known as Twitter, user typed, “They could have had music in the background, you could feel the tension and nerves [through] the screen.”

Another person shared the same sentiment, typing, “Imagine there being dead silence and then suddenly a random sound pops in the middle of your routine. That is worse than constant cheering/clapping which your brain will zone out because of the focus you have. Makes sense, why do French fans not get it [sic]?”

Suni later opened up about the experience, stating that there “was a lot of pressure.” Simone, too, faced challenges during the 2024 Olympics. She slipped off the balance beam and incurred costly penalties on the floor, marking the first time she didn’t win a gold medal at the 2024 Summer Games.

Later, during the floor final, Simone appeared to have another stunning performance, but two moments of landing out of bounds reduced her score to 14.133, just behind gold medalist Rebeca Andrade of Brazil, who scored 14.166.

Following their performance slips, Suni opened up about the atmosphere within the arena. She revealed that she and Simone noticed unusual shushing during the beam final, even directed at them.

“You could feel the tension in the room. I mean, the crowd shushing us for cheering. We did not like that, just because it’s so silent in there. I love hearing my teammates cheer for me. Me and Simone were like, ‘Why are they shushing?’ Like, we’re just trying to cheer,” Suni said.

Nonetheless, Suni expressed pride in her accomplishments while reflecting on her 2024 Olympics campaign. “I think there’s a lot of things to be proud of this time around, just because I had to overcome so much,” Suni said.

“There were days where I was fighting demons, and [my coach] Jess [Graba] was just like, ‘You know what? I don’t even know if this is for you anymore.’ There were times where he was like, ‘Maybe you should just be done here,'” she continued.

Suni revealed during an interview that she hadn’t expected to make it so far into the competition, so she was trying to be kind to herself. Even reaching the Olympics was unexpected, and making it to the final felt like an added bonus.

Suni Lee’s Battle with Health Issues Leading Up to the 2024 Olympics

Ahead of the 2024 Paris Summer Olympics, Suni spent most of 2023 grappling with the realities of a kidney-related health issue. This condition abruptly ended her NCAA career at Auburn University and stopped her attempts at international competition later that year.

A biopsy revealed that Suni was dealing with two kidney diseases, though she chose not to disclose specifics. The doctors at the Mayo Clinic, located about 80 miles from her, experimented with various drug combinations to manage her symptoms.

Unfortunately, the adjustments in her treatment came with significant side effects, such as weight gain and exhaustion. “It wasn’t something like I can just take a pill and be better. I was going to have to deal with this my whole life,” she explained, noting that she needed to take medication daily.

During this challenging period, Suni was confined to bed rest for weeks, took five months off from gymnastics, and gained 45 pounds on her five-foot frame before she could return to the gym.

This weight gain forced her to buy larger clothing and some days, her hands were so swollen that she couldn’t fit them into the grips she used for the uneven bars. Her body retained so much water that it affected her balance, flips, and twists, causing her to sometimes fly off the bars due to her puffy and weak hands.

“I had kind of a rough patch. It was more just mental, but also trying to figure out my health,” Suni shared. Her coach responded to a question about Suni’s daily activities when she couldn’t practice as “being depressed.”

It turned out that kidney problems ran in Suni’s family, something she hadn’t known. Yeev mentioned that her brother died of kidney failure at 45, and her mother was a little over 60 when she passed away from the same issue.

Suni had to make difficult decisions, including quitting training for the 2024 Paris Olympics and canceling her promotional work. This added to her anxiety because she felt a responsibility to provide for herself and her siblings.

She had been diligent about saving for their college funds and was cautious with her remaining resources. Eventually, Suni moved back to Minnesota, living in her own apartment and getting an Australian Shepherd puppy named Bean.

Many days and nights were spent in bed, cuddling with him and shedding tears. “During that time, I was honestly not doing a lot of anything good for me. I was just kind of rotting in my bed and hoping that it would all go away,” Suni admitted.

The steroids she was taking weakened her ligaments and tendons, so Jess had to ensure she didn’t overexert herself when she did manage to train. The most challenging part, he noted, was that her mind was convinced she could still perform at her usual high level, but her body wasn’t ready.

Adding to her struggles, Suni revealed she had also battled eczema her entire life. At a panel, she described her skin as extremely dry and flaky, causing significant discomfort and itchiness.

Her mother eventually took her to a doctor, who referred her to a dermatologist. This led to a diagnosis and the discovery of an effective treatment plan.

Suni confessed that she felt embarrassed about her condition when she was younger because it wasn’t openly discussed. “Eczema flare-ups, they can definitely get in my head,” she shared during the panel.

“Being on a competition floor, having so many eyes on you, and just trying not to be worried about if people are looking at my skin,” Suni continued. However, Suni learned to embrace her eczema and aspired to be the role model she needed in her youth.

She acknowledged that dealing with eczema and flare-ups can be isolating but wanted others to know they were not alone and that their condition did not define them.

Fortunately, Suni made a significant comeback in 2023, supported by Simone. Simone encouraged her to continue for herself and her goals, reassuring her that she could overcome challenges.

“I just know that she needed some encouragement and somebody to trust her gymnastics for her and to believe in her,” Simone said. In 2023, Suni competed in two important national meets and won medals at both, but it wasn’t without its challenges.

She was on a strict low-sodium diet, so Jess had to buy an air fryer in each city to cook her chicken just right. “Things are definitely way better now. Of course, I still have to go to the doctor every couple of weeks. I just got an infusion. But they said that I’ve been progressing a lot,” Suni shared.

On August 6, 2023, Suni took to Instagram to celebrate her triumphant return and expressed her gratitude: “Feeling blessed & so so grateful. This comeback was so much more than my return to elite gymnastics.”

“It was me proving to myself that I can overcome hard things, and to hopefully inspire others to never let life’s setbacks stop you from going after your dreams. See y’all in San Jose🌟,” the caption continued.

However, Suni had to pace herself and declined an invitation to the selection camp for the world championships, needing more time to recover. She had also announced her goal to compete in the 2024 Paris Olympics and feared it was too late to back out.

However, her performances at the 2024 Olympic Games proved the gymnast had nothing to fear. Despite her fall, Suni achieved remarkable success. Through her struggles and triumphs, Suni Lee demonstrated the true spirit of a champion.