Six months ago, U.S. gymnast Suni Lee didn’t think she’d even be able to compete.
On Sunday, Li won the bronze medal on balance beam with a score of 14.800, earning her sixth Olympic medal and third of the Games.
Keilia Nemours, who grew up in France but competed for Algeria, won the gold medal with an impressive score of 15.700 points, the first time an African country has won this feat in artistic gymnastics.
Qiu Qiyuan won the silver medal early on with 15.500 points.
But Li produced a flawless routine that would have seemed impossible just six months ago, beating Belgium’s Nina Del Waal (14.766) to take the bronze medal.
2024 Paris Olympics
“I think this performance means a lot more because I won the bronze medal at the last Olympics, but it obviously wasn’t the performance I wanted,” Li said in a television interview. “So this time, even if I made it to the podium and got third place, that was fine, that was better than my last performance. But I feel like I did my best to stay consistent this time, so I’m very happy, and I did exactly that today.”
“Honestly, I couldn’t have come this far without the support of my teammates and coaches. After the bars, I told myself not to cry because it was the last competition and I’m really happy that it’s almost over. But I’ve been through so much and the doctors have been so supportive. No one made me give up and I’m so grateful because if I had, I don’t know what I’d be doing now. But I can’t believe I’m here.”
Lee had to fight not only to get to Paris, but just to be able to compete.
She was diagnosed with kidney disease not once but twice, and battled an illness so severe that she had to keep a bucket nearby during practice in case nausea hit her.
But now the 21-year-old gymnast has led the United States to a team gold medal, a bronze medal in the individual all-around and a bronze medal on the uneven bars.
She is still scheduled to compete on the balance beam, where she will be one of the favorites to win against fellow U.S. team member Simone Biles.
“I still have a lot left. Every time I’ve been in the balance beam finals I haven’t performed to my potential so I feel like I have a lot to make up for,” Li said. “So this time I’m just going to go out there and give it my all.”
