Away From Gymnastics, Suni Lee Shares Emotional Note While Preparing for an Important Season: “Proud of Myself”

For gymnasts, the window to make something out of their career choice is relatively smaller than most other athletes. But that was only one part of Suni Lee’s challenges. In 2021, the Auburn star reached the top of the sport when she won the All-Around gold in Tokyo. But life came crashing right after her triumph. But Lee didn’t let her kidney disease dictate her life.

Instead, Sunisa took control of her life and dreams and made a comeback in Paris this year, which will surely go down as one of the greatest returns to the limelight of all time. But thankfully, she had some shoulders to lean on and an unwavering support system that helped Lee maintain composure during her rough patch. And now, as the 2x Olympic champ takes a break from gymnastics, she can’t help but feel grateful for all those who stood by her at every step.

In her recent Instagram story, Suni Lee recalled what a rollercoaster of a ride 2024 has been for her. From deciding to sign up for the US Classic to going on to win team gold in Paris at the 33rd Olympic Games, the 21-year-old has had a year to remember, to say the least. Noting the same, Lee wrote on her IG update, “Being emotional but sitting in my apt thinking about everything I’ve been thru this year and I am SO PROUD OF MYSELF for never giving up.” She went on to express her gratitude: “I’m so blessed to be able to live this amazing life with the most amazing people surrounded by me.”

However, her uplifted spirit might have something to do with the festive season that will soon be upon us. In her previous IG story, the Olympian shared how she’s been organizing her quaint apartment and how she’s hitting the stores to make sure she has everything to celebrate the upcoming holidays. “Fav time of the year,” confessed Lee, and seemingly, that has given her a reason to sit back and reflect on how far she’s come in her life.

Right after her seminal career point in Japan three years ago, Lee was diagnosed with a rare kidney disease, which the doctors claimed could not be cured. Naturally, the news came as a blow to the guts, and Suni quit her NCAA season mid-way through 2023 to recover her health. However, she was determined not to let the setback take away her elite career as well, and she returned to action in August 2023 for the US Classic. And she hasn’t looked back since, as the City of Love stood to witness in 2024. But it seems like Lee’s hunger for life has only grown and she’s not afraid to tread on uncharted waters.

Suni Lee isn’t afraid to expand her horizons

Shortly after her successful Paris campaign, Lee made heads turn again. This time for the New York Fashion Week. But that wasn’t her only business in NYC. Deciding to give herself a break from all the action, Lee is setting up home at the Big Apple in New York and was understandably eager to show up at one of the most coveted fashion shows on the planet. “I’m excited for a new chapter, and happy I get to do it in New York. I moved a day before hitting the ground running for NYFW,” she told Vogues while also mentioning how she’s looking forward to doing daily errands like getting coffee and buying groceries.

Her love for fashion also spilled over to her work life, where she joined hands with LoveShackFancy to make ripples in the glam world as well. But that’s not all! With moving to New York, Lee also hopes to start her journey as a YouTube vlogger, as she intends to bring more BTS snippets from her life to her fans. Her hint about becoming a social media personality has Lee’s fans speculating when they’ll get to see her drop the first vlog. Are you among those fans waiting to see Suni’s next big adventure? Tell us your feelings in a comment!