Photo:Stacy Revere/Getty
Stacy Revere/Getty
Suni Leehopes her latest performance inspires others.
In anInstagram postafter this weekend’sCore Hydration Classicin Illinois,Lee shared that she was “feeling blessed & so so grateful” to make a return to gymnastics. The three-time Olympic medalist earned a14.5 score on beam and 13.5 on vault.
“This comeback was so much more than my return to elite gymnastics,” she explained. “It was me proving to myself that I can overcome hard things and to hopefully inspire others to never let life’s setbacks stop you from going after your dreams. See y’all inSan Jose🌟.”
“I am blessed and thankful to be working with the best specialized medical team to treat and manage my diagnosis. My focus at this time is my health and recovery,” she wrote in a statementshared on Twitter(now known as X). The St. Paul, Minnesota native explained that the injury was a “non-gymnastics related issue.”
Lee sharedin her announcement that calling an end to her collegiate career was “challenging” but only made her more motivated to compete in the 2024 Olympics in Paris. “I will not stop pursuing my dreams for a bid to Paris in 2024. In fact, this experience has sharpened my vision for the future,” she wrote.
She touched on hermotivation to inspire othersduring a conversation with PEOPLE in October.
“That’s kind of the goal, I think, to be an inspiration to others,” she said. “And because growing up, I never really had somebody that looked like me, I guess, competing at the Olympics, and it’s great to be somebody that can make such a big impact on others.”
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Speaking about equality in sports, she added, “I definitely think this is just the beginning. We’re just finally starting to break through, I almost feel like. So I think in the future, women are going to be greater than ever and it’s exciting to see.”
source: people.com
