Suni Lee shares details about path to Olympic Trials — Simone Biles Rising is returning soon!
By Lela Moore
The IX: Gymnastics Saturday with Lela Moore, Oct. 5, 2024
Happy gymnastics Saturday! This week, Glamour published a Suni Lee feature in which Lee disclosed that she suffered a relapse of one of her kidney illnesses just before Olympic Trials. She required an infusion treatment and lots of rest in the lead-up to trials and was able to compete at her best — but that was never a guarantee.
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In the article, Lee’s Olympic teammates mention her protective nature. She mentored Hezly Rivera, who was the youngest member of the U.S. team at 16 and the only member competing at the Olympics for the first time. Lee helped fend off fellow athletes who wanted some face time with Simone Biles, and has supported Jordan Chiles throughout her battle for that bronze floor medal. It seems like, from their telling, Lee is a fantastic teammate in every sense of that word.
I think that’s what I liked best about the story — that given Lee’s rough road to return to the Olympics to defend her all-around championship, she had no aspirations of being a star or standing out in Paris. She was, as the saying goes, just happy to be there, although even that took work. It sounds like Lee took a lot of convincing that she should be there, and that makes hearing about her kidney illness and the struggles it has caused her even more poignant.
Lee also says that in her post-gymnastics era she’s pursuing a career in fashion, using the connections she has made through sponsorships to forge that path. She says that the real Suni has not always been obvious to fans of the sport and she hopes to express her true personality more through her work. I, for one, can’t wait to see it.
Other gym news
College Gym News features seven teams that could surprise us in 2025.
GymCastic did an episode about Dominique Dawes, her lengthy career and her influence on the sport.
The Gymternet has the results of the Brazilian national championships and of the Northern European Championships.
Kaylia Nemour’s gym was gifted the set of uneven bars from Paris where Nemour won gold.
In 2026 signing news, Zoey Molomo verbally committed to UCLA.
Along with Michelle Pineda.
And Madray Johnson to Oklahoma.
Trailer drop of the week
The second part of Simone Biles Rising on Netflix is coming! The trailer dropped this week.
| Mondays: Soccer |
| By: Annie Peterson, @AnnieMPeterson, AP Women’s Soccer |
| Tuesdays: Tennis |
| By: Joey Dillon, @JoeyDillon, Freelance Tennis Writer |
| Wednesdays: Basketball |
| By: Howard Megdal, @HowardMegdal, The Next |
| Thursdays: Golf |
| By: Marin Dremock, @MDremock, The IX |
| Fridays: Hockey |
| By: @TheIceGarden, The Ice Garden |
| Saturdays: Gymnastics |
| By: Lela Moore, @runlelarun, Freelance Writer |
