Resilience has been a key component of Suni Lee’s route to the U.S. Gymnastics Championships. Over a year ago, Lee suffered two kidney-related issues, which made her face several debacles. She had to end her collegiate career abruptly. She also let go of the chance to compete at the Worlds in 2023. But she never lost her grit. A few days back, she secured a major success when USAG approved her to participate in the all-around competition in the upcoming Xfinity Championships. While taking part in that after a long absence, Lee mindfully made some alterations to her approach.
The Xfinity Championships are vital since they will provide the tickets to the Olympic trials. But considering Lee’s health, she and coach Jess Garba have decided to take it easy instead of aggressively focusing just on the win. In the event, focus on securing an Olympic trials berth will surely be there. But more than that, they will invest in gaining Lee’s confidence back in the all-around discipline by performing in front of a large audience.
“We have like five or six [routines] that we can do right now,” Graba explained in a conversation with Olympics.com. “Right now, we’re pretty much doing a second half for this meet. The main focus for this meet was to build some stamina under pressure in front of everybody. And, like, get up and get warmed up in two turns. So, we’re there,” Garba further added.
During the recent official practice, Lee looked shaky but resolute. She missed some tries at a straddled Jaeger release move. She did, however, manage to do two whole routines toward the end of the practice, displaying glimmers of her previous form. Her cautious but tactical approach highlights her concentration on making small steps toward her goal of recovering her full fitness.