US Gymnastics Championships: Suni Lee's triumphant return is about more than scores

The reigning Olympic all-around champion’s name appearing at the bottom of the Xfinity US Gymnastics Championships senior women’s standings is jarring for fans. Sunisa Lee tied for last place in the two-day competition, but that’s because she did not compete in the all-around. 

Lee competed only on the balance beam and vault, the same apparatus as the Core Hydration Classic earlier this month. Why did the reigning champ sit out of half of the events?

She’s still recovering from a kidney issue, which ended her sophomore season of NCAA gymnastics at Auburn University earlier this year. The condition forced her to stop training.

Lee continues to ramp up her training with her eye on next summer’s Olympics, which take place in Paris. She’s not yet ready to compete on the floor exercise or on her best event, the uneven bars. She is training on bars. The bars in particular have been a struggle for her since her kidney issues sometimes cause swollen hands.

This isn’t the first time Lee has faced adversity. Leading up to the 2020 Tokyo Olympics (which took place in 2021), she had several challenges. Lee’s father suffered a fall in 2019 that left him paralyzed. Her family lost two close relatives to COVID-19 during the pandemic. She broke her foot in 2020. Still, Lee persisted, refusing to give up on her dreams.

How did Suni Lee do at the US Gymnastics Championships?

Although Lee is not yet where she wants to be with her skills, she’s well on her way. Competing in nationals alongside the best gymnasts in the United States shows she’s still capable of performing at the elite level. Despite not participating in the all-around at Championships, Lee showed poise and determination on the balance beam and vault. 

After falling on the beam Night 1 and scoring a 13.65, Lee came roaring back on Night 2, scoring a 14.2. She fought her way to a third-place finish on the apparatus, posting a 27.850 combined total. Earning bronze in an event with scores that absorbed a fall is incredible.

Lee’s execution on vault was a 9.15 on Night 1 and a 9.2 on Night 2, showing consistency. Her vault scores were low because she performed a low-difficulty vault. The Yurchenko full is valued at a 4.2. Other gymnasts performed vaults with difficulty values of 4.6, 5.0, or 5.6. Compared to other elite gymnasts, her difficulty is just not there yet. 

Since the top ten gymnasts in the all-around earned a place on the national team, Lee did not make it. What comes next for her is hopefully earning an invitation to the training camp where the 2023 World Championships team will be selected. Other gymnasts who hope to earn invitations are Lexi Zeiss and Olympian Jade Carey. The Worlds team will consist of five gymnasts and one alternate. 

Lee knows she is up against stiff competition to make the 2024 Olympic team. Olympic teammates Simone Biles and Jordan Chiles are also seeking a place on the team. Biles just earned her record-breaking eighth all-around national title. 

Other top female gymnasts hoping to compete in the Olympics include Shilese Jones, Leanne Wong, Skye Blakely, Katelyn Jong, and Joscelyn Roberson. Last year’s national champion, Konnor McClain is currently injured. Olympic all-around Gabby Douglas has her eye on a comeback, as well. 

The women’s field is stacked. Lee will need her uneven bars at full strength in order to be the most valuable she can be to the US team. For now, just getting back out on the competition floor was the goal, and she did that both at the Classic and the Championships.

Suni Lee’s return to elite competition is about more than scores or her place in the standings. In an Instagram post earlier this month, Lee said, "This comeback was so much more than my return to elite gymnastics. It was me proving to myself that I can overcome hard things." Lee noted her desire to inspire others to push through setbacks. Her comeback is a story of strength and resilience.