For several top-level American gymnasts, the 2024–2025 season is about to begin. Olympic champion Suni Lee is one among the competitors getting ready for the 2024 Winter Cup. When Simone Biles withdrew from the team final of the Tokyo Olympics in 2021, Sunisa took over brilliantly and led Team USA to an Olympic silver medal. Suni then proceeded to win the gold medal for all-around, making history as the first Asian American woman to accomplish so.
She will likely make a comeback in 2024 after missing several months of competitions because of a kidney-related sickness. Let’s examine the specifics of the illness that kept her out of the spotlight for the majority of 2023 as fans anxiously await her return.
The Incurable Kidney Disease of Suni Lee
Suni Lee discussed her renal condition, which started in February 2023, in an interview with SELF. Her ankles were swelled when she woke up, and soon after that, her entire body began to expand. Suni Lee and her coach initially thought it might be an allergic reaction.
But Lee revealed, “I simply kept getting bigger and bigger. and I believe I put on about 40 pounds. She said, “My fingers were so swollen, and I couldn’t even do a normal kip cast to handstand on bars,” indicating that this started to interfere with her training. They went to see a doctor when the swelling continued and got worse.
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Her physicians ran many tests but were first unable to determine the exact reason of her illness. Suni eventually had a kidney-related diagnosis after undergoing many tests, including a biopsy.
Her kidney condition’s exact name was kept a secret from the public, but at the time it was said to be rare and incurable. According to SELF, the illness impairs the kidneys’ ability to filter waste products, resulting in symptoms like weariness, edema, and variations in urine production. After receiving the news, how has Sunisa Lee been taking care of her health?
Who is Sunisa Lee?
Sunisa “Suni” Lee, who was born in Saint Paul, Minnesota, on March 9, 2003, to Yeev Thoj and John Lee, is a renowned artistic gymnast from the United States. She has achieved notable distinctions as the 2020 Olympic all-around champion and a bronze medalist on uneven bars. Her additional accomplishments at the 2019 World Championships include a silver medal on the floor and a bronze medal on uneven bars.
As the first Hmong-American to compete in the Olympics, Lee is a pioneer. Among his five siblings are Shyenne, Evionn, Lucky, Noah, and Justin. Lee, who debuted in gymnastics in 2009 at the age of six, rapidly advanced to the elite level.
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Commencing her distinguished career, she made her senior international debut at the 2017 Pacific Rim Championships, where she won a gold medal in the balance beam. Lee’s 2019 World Championships performance was a turning point; she won silver in uneven bars and bronze in floor exercise, a historic accomplishment for Hmong Americans in sports.
She maintained her exceptional form during the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, where she earned individual all-around gold and contributed to the silver medal of the U.S. women’s gymnastics team. With this accomplishment, she became the first Hmong-American Olympian to accomplish this feat.
Bronze medalist in the uneven bars event. Suni Lee, renowned for her prowess, power, and consistency, is a role model and source of motivation for aspiring gymnasts around the globe.