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Team USA gymnast Suni Lee has broken her silence about controversial comments made by former teammate MyKayla Skinner

Lee, 21, addressed a dig made by Skinner, 27, in June, when she said in a since-deleted YouTube video, “Besides Simone [Biles], I feel like the talent and the depth just isn’t what it used to be. I mean, obviously, a lot of girls don’t work as hard. The girls just don’t have the work ethic.”

Skinner and Lee were teammates on the 2020 Olympic team that took home all-around silver in Tokyo. 

“We have a lot of love for her, but it’s frustrating to see her put us down because she knows, basically, about every single thing that we’ve all been through,” Lee told Glamour in a story published Thursday, October 3. “It was more annoying because of all the things that I’ve been through.”

In the year leading up to the 2024 Games, Lee was diagnosed with two types of kidney disease. 

“I wasn’t able to go to the bathroom,” she recalled to Glamour. “I couldn’t bend my legs because they were so swollen, and my fingers too. My eyes were almost swollen shut. I was like, ‘Something is happening.’”

After months of frustration, Lee called USA Gymnastics cohead physician Marcia Faustin who ultimately helped get her tested and diagnosed. 

“It just goes to show the importance of speaking up and advocating for yourself, because if I wouldn’t have, who knows what I would have been doing right now,” Lee said. 

Once Skinner’s comments about the 2024 squad caught fire, they became a bit of a rallying cry for the group, who took home all-around gold in Paris. 

Suni Lee

“Lack of talent, lazy, olympic champions ❤️🥇🇺🇸,” Biles, 27, captioned a photo via Instagram after taking home gold alongside teammates Lee, Jade Carey, Hezly Rivera and Jordan Chiles.

Every Medal Team USA Won at the 2024 Paris Olympics

Skinner — who later said her comment was “misinterpreted” and “wasn’t always necessarily about the current team” — returned to social media after Biles’ thinly-veiled jab after winning gold.

“I sincerely hoped that this topic wouldn’t need to be revisited but unfortunately things have really gotten out of hand lately,” Skinner said in a video posted via Instagram August 6. “And it’s one thing to disagree with me regarding something I have said or a point I was trying to make, but it’s something else entirely when that turns into cyber bullying or even worse.”

Skinner continued, “Watching people cheer on the bullying — which has led to threats of physical harm to me, my husband and our daughter — is disgusting. So please at this point, I’m just asking for it to stop for the sake of my family because enough is enough.”

Fighting Incurable Kidney Disease, Suni Lee Gets Emotional Over Life After Gymnastics Success

Remember when USA’s women’s gymnastics team successfully pulled off their redemption tour in the Bercy Arena? For Suni Lee, it wasn’t just about chasing Olympic glory. It was about about overcoming an insurmountable challenge. In 2023, the gymnast had to deal with one of the biggest hurdles of her life. There used to be a time when she couldn’t even grip the uneven bars because her body was so swollen. The 21-year-old was severely ill.

Yet, none of that mattered when she stepped into the French capital. The Olympian proved her mettle at Bercy Arena with sheer determination and resilience. She didn’t just nab one or two Olympic medals. She snagged three – 1 gold and 2 bronze. With this, she became the first American woman to bag two medals in two consecutive events on the uneven bars. Isn’t this what fables are made of? However, as the dust settles on her dreamy Parisian stint, the 21-year-old can’t help but look back on her journey and marvel at how far she’s come.

Suni Lee expresses gratitude for the uplifting journey

It’s no surprise the gymnast turned heads at the French capital. But there came a point where she didn’t think this would be possible. However, she now boasts six Olympic medals, one of which is a shiny individual all-around gold from the 2020 Tokyo Games. On November 17, the Olympian shared a selfie in her apartment with a heartwarming caption, “being emotional but sitting in my apt thinking about everything i’ve been through this year and I am SO PROUD OF MYSELF for never giving up🥺”

In 2023, the 21-year-old withdrew from a promising collegiate gymnastics career. While the world wasn’t aware of what led to that decision, she eventually revealed battling with 2 incurable kidney diseases. It left her eyes swollen shut and gained 45 lbs in the two weeks. Undeterred, she wanted to compete in the 2024 Paris Olympics. But it was a tough battle to fight, given how she couldn’t even walk up a flight of stairs.

As a result, dragging herself to the gym every day was the hardest thing to do. She wanted to stay away because she was guilty. She didn’t want to let down the little girls in the gym. Solely because she wasn’t able to do a lot of things. Yet, when she did go to the gym, her coaches would have to keep buckets ready because her medications would make her extremely nauseous.

Suni Lee

The gymnast also hoped to turn back time. Yet, she came across another hurdle leading up to the Summer Games. What really happened?

The Olympian hit a minor bump

Suni Lee’s journey leading up to the Games was nothing short of extraordinary. But the road to the French capital wasn’t smooth sailing. Shortly before the Olympic Trials, the gymnast went into a relapse. As a result, she had to get an infusion. However, this worked in her favor. Before getting it, she had bad fatigue and couldn’t train to her best potential.

Yes, she had changed her routine to the best of her advantage. Despite this, she pushed herself through the Olympic Trials and successfully punched her ticket to the French capital! In Bercy Arena, she knocked it out of the park by clinching 3 Olympic medals. However, self-doubt nearly kept her off the podium.

The gymnast had been through a whirlwind leading up to the Games. She wasn’t the least bit confident. But this didn’t go too well with Simone Biles. She decided to give her a pep talk, motivating her to walk in like the reigning Olympic champion. The 11x Olympic medalist reminded her she was good enough to be at the Games and was on the team for a reason.

The gymnast gives them a shoutout on her Instagram story. “I’m so blessed to live this amazing life with the most amazing people surrounded by me ❤️” Now that she’s done with the Summer Games, there’s a world of opportunities for the 21-year-old. What will she do next?

Suni Lee Radiates Angelic Beauty in Brown Two-Piece for SI Swimsuit BTS Photos

The 21-year-old Olympic gymnast posed for Sports Illustrated Swimsuit earlier this month and the behind the shots are breathtaking.

All month long, Sports Illustrated Swimsuit has been excitedly announcing the first group of our 2025 magazine lineup, featuring a long list of incredible athletes. One of our first announced was Suni Lee, the two-time Olympic gold medalist who flew to Boca Raton, Fla. to be photographed by Ben Horton. While you’ll have to wait until next May to see her full spread of photos, we have released a few official images of Lee wearing a simple yet stunning brown two-piece by St. Agni.

The official images of Lee were simply flawless, so it should come as no surprise that the behind the scenes photos from her shoot day are just as beautiful. As we inch closer to the 2025 issue, we’re happy to share some BTS sneak peeks from the athlete’s shoots, including the former Auburn Tigers gymnastics team member. With the perfect Floridian sun and the mesmerizing blue pool water, Lee had the perfect backdrop to make her SI Swimsuit debut.

But of course, it’s her beauty—inside and out—that does all of the work. Enjoy seven exclusive BTS shots from Lee’s SI Swimsuit photo shoot below.

Suni Lee

It’s no surprise that the SI Swimsuit community has embraced Lee’s introduction so well, with several fellow models showing support on the brand’s Instagram.

Suni Lee

The gymnast, who made her Olympic debut at the 2020 Tokyo Games where she won gold, returned for the Paris Games this summer, where she won bronze and helped Team USA walk away with first place in women’s gymnastics. After being diagnosed with kidney disease—which forced her to end her college career early—Lee partnered with the American Kidney Fund on the organization’s Know Your Kidneys initiative. Clearly, Lee is a very busy woman, but she’s enjoying a bit of time off now that she’s relocated to New York City post-Olympics, and wants to focus on working with fashion and beauty brands.

While speaking with Glamour in early October, Lee described who she is outside of gymnastics: “She’s fun, she’s energetic, outgoing, very brave. But not a lot of people see that, and it’s something that I want to expand on more. I think fashion can be a really good way to express yourself.”

As we wait for the 2025 SI Swimsuit magazine to hit stands next May, be sure to check out our coverage of the athlete lineup so far. They’re all truly incredible in their respective sport and in front of the camera.

Coping From Incurable Disease, Suni Lee Gets Emotional Amidst Gymnastics Break: “Never Giving Up”

For gymnasts, the window to make something out of their career choice is relatively smaller than most other athletes. But that was only one part of Suni Lee’s challenges. In 2021, the Auburn star reached the top of the sport when she won the All-Around gold in Tokyo. But life came crashing right after her triumph. But Lee didn’t let her kidney disease dictate her life.

Instead, Sunisa took control of her life and dreams and made a comeback in Paris this year, which will surely go down as one of the greatest returns to the limelight of all time. But thankfully, she had some shoulders to lean on and an unwavering support system that helped Lee maintain composure during her rough patch. And now, as the 2x Olympic champ takes a break from gymnastics, she can’t help but feel grateful for all those who stood by her at every step.

In her recent Instagram story, Suni Lee recalled what a rollercoaster of a ride 2024 has been for her. From deciding to sign up for the US Classic to going on to win team gold in Paris at the 33rd Olympic Games, the 21-year-old has had a year to remember, to say the least. Noting the same, Lee wrote on her IG update, “Being emotional but sitting in my apt thinking about everything I’ve been thru this year and I am SO PROUD OF MYSELF for never giving up.” She went on to express her gratitude: “I’m so blessed to be able to live this amazing life with the most amazing people surrounded by me.

However, her uplifted spirit might have something to do with the festive season that will soon be upon us. In her previous IG story, the Olympian shared how she’s been organizing her quaint apartment and how she’s hitting the stores to make sure she has everything to celebrate the upcoming holidays. “Fav time of the year,” confessed Lee, and seemingly, that has given her a reason to sit back and reflect on how far she’s come in her life.

 

Right after her seminal career point in Japan three years ago, Lee was diagnosed with a rare kidney disease, which the doctors claimed could not be cured. Naturally, the news came as a blow to the guts, and Suni quit her NCAA season mid-way through 2023 to recover her health. However, she was determined not to let the setback take away her elite career as well, and she returned to action in August 2023 for the US Classic. And she hasn’t looked back since, as the City of Love stood to witness in 2024. But it seems like Lee’s hunger for life has only grown and she’s not afraid to tread on uncharted waters.

Suni Lee isn’t afraid to expand her horizons

Shortly after her successful Paris campaign, Lee made heads turn again. This time for the New York Fashion Week. But that wasn’t her only business in NYC. Deciding to give herself a break from all the action, Lee is setting up home at the Big Apple in New York and was understandably eager to show up at one of the most coveted fashion shows on the planet. “I’m excited for a new chapter, and happy I get to do it in New York. I moved a day before hitting the ground running for NYFW,” she told Vogues while also mentioning how she’s looking forward to doing daily errands like getting coffee and buying groceries.

Her love for fashion also spilled over to her work life, where she joined hands with LoveShackFancy to make ripples in the glam world as well. But that’s not all! With moving to New York, Lee also hopes to start her journey as a YouTube vlogger, as she intends to bring more BTS snippets from her life to her fans. Her hint about becoming a social media personality has Lee’s fans speculating when they’ll get to see her drop the first vlog. Are you among those fans waiting to see Suni’s next big adventure? Tell us your feelings in a comment!

USA Olympic Star Suni Lee Announced as SI Swimsuit’s Newest Athlete for 2025 Magazine

U.S. Olympic gymnast Suni Lee will take part in the 2025 Sports Illustrated Swimsuit edition, the magazine announced on Monday.

“We are thrilled to launch our shoot season for the 2025 issue with an extraordinary lineup of powerful female athletes,” SI Swimsuit editor-in-chief MJ Day said in a statement. “This remarkable group, featuring Olympic medalists, world champions, and record holders, embodies the next generation of all-stars poised to transform the world of sports. They defy stereotypes and champion equality, inspiring young girls to envision themselves as both athletes and leaders. At SI Swimsuit, we’ve always celebrated the future of women, and there’s no better way to honor these remarkable achievements than by featuring them on the pages of our issue.”

Lee, 21, has won two gold medals in her career—the first came at the individual all-around competition at the 2020 Tokyo Games (held in 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic), while the second was in the team competition during this summer’s Paris Games. She also took home a silver (team) and bronze medal (uneven bars) in the 2020 Games and two bronze medals (all-around, uneven bars) in Paris.

She is already one of the most decorated gymnasts in United States history and will join a number of athletes—including sprinter Gabby Thomas, skier Eileen Gu and golfer Nelly Korda—in this year’s Swimsuit edition.

The Olympic gymnast has had an exciting comeback, and it didn’t stop at the Olympics.

Olympics gymnast Sunisa “Suni” Lee is having a hell of a comeback year, and meeting another powerful woman has made it all the more exciting.

Tonight, at Glamour Magazine’s Women of the Year Awards — where she was one of the women given the honor — Lee met Beyoncé, and to say that she was fangirling would be an understatement. In a clip taken from the awards ceremony, Lee and Bey are seen chatting, and Lee can barely keep her composure. The words exchanged in the conversation are unclear, but it sounds like the conversation was fulfilling for both ladies.

Shortly after, the two posed for a photo shared to Lee’s Instagram Story. Lee was wearing a glimmering silver long-sleeved dress, will Bey was wearing a fabulous shirt-and-long-skirt combo, cinched with a large belt.

Suni Lee

This past summer, Lee won a gold medal at the 2024 Paris Olympics in the team all-around event. This marked her second gold medal win, after winning a gold medal in the 2020 Tokyo Games in the women’s all-around.

She announced her retirement in March 2023 after being diagnosed with a kidney disease. She returned to gymnasitcs in August 2023, making her comeback to elite gymnastics at the 2023 U.S. Classic.

In an interview with Glamour, Lee revealed that she hasn’t thought much about making an Olympic return for the 2028 games in Los Angeles. But if she does, she doesn’t want there to be a hero’s journey narrative surrounding her as she competes.

“I don’t think I would want there to be a huge story,” Suni said. “I’d just want to work my butt off in the gym every single day and get everything that I deserved at the Olympics. You know? It shouldn’t be deeper than that.”

Bronze medal controversy: Simone Biles, Suni Lee back Jordan Chiles amid Paris Olympics bronze medal controversy

Simone Biles and Suni Lee came to the support of Jordan Chiles on social media as the American gymnast’s bronze medal win in the floor exercise is in limbo.

Chiles may end up having to return the Olympic medal after the Center of Arbitration for Sport ruled Saturday that her score must revert to the original mark because the U.S. did not file an inquiry with judges in time. The International Olympic Committee on Sunday determined that Chiles must return her medal, but USA Gymnastics appealed the ruling, saying it had video evidence showing coaches made the inquiry in time.

As Chiles wrote on her Instagram Stories over the weekend that she was heartbroken over the chaotic situation, Biles and Lee offered messages of support.

“Sending you so much love Jordan,” Biles wrote on her Instagram Stories. “Keep your chin up olympic champ! We love you!”

DON’T MISS : SAYS USA COACH CHELLSIE MEMMEL”2024 PARIS OLYMPIC GAMES,…

Lee wrote a loving message of support as well and took a swipe at Olympic officials over the debacle.

“All this talk about the athlete, what about the judges?? Completely unacceptable. This is awful and I’m gutted for Jordan,” she wrote. “I got your back forever Jo. (You) have all my flowers and you will ALWAYS be an Olympic champion.”

Team USA wrote on its X account, “Forever THAT girl.”

If Chiles is stripped of her medal, she will become only the third gymnast in history to have an Olympic medal stripped. The other two were China’s Dong Fangxiao and Romania’s Andreea Răducan, both of whom lost their medals from the 2000 Sydney Olympics.

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