Suni Lee: The Olympic gold medal gymnast with incurable kidney disease

The five-woman team of Simone Biles, Sunisa Lee, Jordan Chiles, Jade Carey, and Hezly Rivera returned the US to the top of the Olympic podium in scintillating fashion, posting a combined score of 171.296 in the gymnastics team final.

Three years after the Americans settled with a silver medal at the Tokyo Games, their victory in Paris was a time for jubilation and relief, especially for team member Sunisa (Suni) Lee.

According to the Hindustan Times, Lee was diagnosed with two incurable kidney diseases in 2023, and she felt like her gymnastics days were over.

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The American gymnast won Olympic gold in the All-Around event in 2020 at 18 and quickly became an American sensation before starting her studies at Auburn University.

Her popularity grew to an overwhelming success, with stalkers lining up everywhere she went, and she was forced to settle with online classes.

Despite the problems at college, Lee's biggest challenge came last year after being diagnosed with kidney disease. She had to drop out of college, stop gymnastics, and move back to her hometown of Minnesota, where the side effects caused fatigue and overeating.

The American gymnast had to sit out of training for six months and gained 45 pounds, according to the Woman's Health website. She had swelling in her ankles, face, legs, and hands.

Lee told Sports Illustrated: "I was just rotting in my bed. I couldn't talk to anybody. I didn't leave the house." In January, she was given the all-clear to return to training and described it as an 'incredible journey.'

The incredible gymnast told the New York Times: "We didn't think I would be here. There were so many times when I thought about quitting and just giving up because I was so sick, and it was just so hard to stay motivated."

"Once I had those people around me who lifted me and supported me and just made sure that I was good, I knew that this is something that I wanted."

On the 30th of July, Lee staged the impossible comeback and topped it off with ultimate glory, participating in three rotations and being a deciding factor in the USA's gold medal success.

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