Suni Lee says Olympic bronze 'goes deeper than gymnastics' in emotional Instagram post reflecting on battling two rare kidney diseases
- READ MORE: Who is Suni Lee? Meet the US gymnast who won gold in Tokyo
- READ MORE: Simone Biles and Suni Lee lead USA to first team gold since 2016
After securing her fourth and fifth Olympic medals in Paris, Suni Lee reflected on her inspiring journey back to the world stage.
Last year, the 21-year-old was diagnosed with two rare kidney illnesses that kept her away from competing and largely affected her physical and mental health.
However, after securing another Olympic berth on June 30, Lee starred in Team USA alongside Simone Biles as the Americans went on what many regarded as a redemption tour in the French capital.
'From being told that i would never be able to do gymnastics again to winning my 5th olympic medal!' Lee wrote on Instagram on Friday.
'This medal goes deeper than gymnastics,' she added. 'i can't even begin to express how much my health has taken away from me & the strength it has taught me, so to be here is the greatest achievement of all. grateful for the opportunity to be able to represent team USA at my second olympic games! thank you for all the support.'
Suni Lee reflected on her journey back to the Olympics after suffering a two kidney diseases
A day before her post, Lee secured a podium finish in the all-around competition. Brazil's Rebeca Andrade and her Team USA teammate, Biles, finished with silver and gold, respectively.
Her triumph comes after she secured all-around gold at the Tokyo Olympics and days behind Team USA's gold finish in the team competition earlier in the week.
During Thursday's final, Lee scored 13.933 on vault, 14.866 on even bars, and 14.000 on the beam, putting her in position to seal a podium finish with her floor exercise.
As Lee stepped on the floor, commentator and ex-Olympian Laurie Hernandez dubbed her performance the 'routine of her life.' The Minnesota native would score 13.666 to secure bronze as her comeback story ended in fireworks.
Lee was sidelined by the illnesses and said she was 'rotting in bed' last year
Lee secured bronze in the all-around competition days after striking gold with Team USA
Simone Biles finished with the gold medal as Brazil's Rebeca Andrade bagged Silver
As impressive as winning a medal at the Games is, her feat was made more special by her 'rotting in bed,' a year ago.
'We didn't even think I'd be here,' she said after the trials. 'Everything has been hitting me like a freaking roller coaster. I haven't stopped crying since, and I'm so happy because there were many times I thought about quitting and walking away from this sport because I didn't think I'd ever get to this point.'
'I really didn't think I would even get on the podium, so it's just crazy that I was here. I did everything I could,' Lee shared after her bronze finish. 'I went out there, and I just told myself not to put any pressure on myself because I didn't want to think about the past Olympics or even trying to prove to anybody anything.
'I wanted to just prove to myself that I could do it, because I didn't think that I could.'
