Suni Lee capped a spectacular comeback to the gymnastics world on Thursday by winning her second medal at the Paris Olympics.
Li won the bronze medal in the individual all-around final, behind fellow U.S. teammate Simone Biles and Brazil’s Rebeca Andrade, who won gold and silver, respectively.
The third-place finish was yet another accolade for the 21-year-old Li at this year’s Summer Olympics as she returned to competition after battling two types of kidney disease for more than a year.
“I never thought I’d be here,” Lee told the “Today” show’s Hoda Kotb ahead of the 2024 Olympics. “I was feeling so bad, so many times I wanted to quit and give up, and it was really hard to stay motivated watching everyone else get better. I couldn’t even get back into the gym and I constantly doubted myself.”
“But when I had people around me encouraging me, supporting me and making sure I was OK, I knew this was what I wanted.”
2024 Paris Olympics
Lee won the team all-around gold medal of the year at this year’s Olympics on Tuesday, along with Biles.
Her success comes just a year after she suddenly gained more than 40 pounds in 2023 and was subsequently found to have kidney disease.
Lee took a break from competition to focus on her health, then returned to training to focus on qualifying for the Summer Olympics.
“I didn’t think I could do it, so I just wanted to prove I could do it,” Lee told reporters on Thursday.
Lee, who won gold in the individual all-around in 2020, retained her spot on the U.S. team earlier this year.
“This return means more than just returning to elite gymnastics.” Lee wrote on Instagram last August.“It was a way for me to prove to myself that I can overcome obstacles and to inspire others to continue chasing their dreams despite setbacks in life.”
Thursday’s competition was Li’s second during the Olympic Games, and by winning the bronze medal, she became the first athlete since Nadia Comaneci in 1976 and 1980 to win gold in the individual all-around at the same Olympics and then win another medal at the next Olympics.
She will compete in the balance beam final on Sunday and the balance beam final the following day in her final appearance at the 2024 Olympics.
