© Daniel Lea/Gymnastics Now
Six-time Olympic medalist Suni Leeisn’t retired yet
The Tokyo Olympic all-around champion announced in a video Tuesday morning that she is making a comeback, not so coincidentally exactly two years out from the 2028 Los Angeles Olympic Games
“I know what I’m capable of,” Lee starts in the video, which shows highlights from throughout her career as she walks around a gym in a fashionable suit and heels. “I’m willing to do whatever it takes to get there. Back in the gym… We’ll see.”
She closed the video with, “This is more than a comeback, stay tuned. – Suni.”
Lee’s comeback will be chronicled in a documentary that is currently being shopped to platforms
“This is more than a documentary; it’s an invitation to come along for the journey. I know there’s more in me, and this is my chance to challenge myself, test my limits, and see what I’m truly capable of,” Lee said. “This isn’t about proving anyone wrong. It’s about showing up for myself and discovering what’s possible. Through the setbacks and the victories, I’m giving myself one more chance to find out what happens when I keep going.”
Of the five women on the team gold medal-winning “Golden Girls” at Paris 2024, Lee was the one most widely believed to be retired – up until today. She was even marked as retired on the World Gymnastics website
Lee will return to Midwest Gymnastics, her longtime club gym, and reunite with coaches Jess Graba and Ali Lim
She’ll get two Grabas on her coaching staff, as Jess’ twin brother, Jeff, has recently returned to Midwest after parting ways with Auburn earlier this year. Jeff coached Lee when she competed for the Tigers in 2022 and 2023
“Ali and I have coached Suni since she was a little girl in this gym, and watching her decide to chase this again is something I’ll never take for granted,” Jess said in a statement from Midwest. “She’s already given the sport everything, so for her to walk back through these doors and go after 2028 on her own terms, with our whole team behind her, it means the world. We’re just going to do the work and enjoy every day of it.”
Lee is 23 and will be 25 by the time the LA Games roll around. As gymnasts like Simone Biles, Katelyn Ohashi, and legend Oksana Chusovitinacontinue to show that “16 isn’t the deadline” (Ohashi so aptly said last week), Lee’s comeback isn’t surprising from an age or ability perspective
The draw of an Olympic Games on home soil can’t be underestimated, and clearly, Lee still has more to give. Both of her previous Olympic runs have been marred by one thing or another, with the COVID-19 pandemic impacting her Tokyo push and a rare kidney disease challenging significantly during the Paris quad
Jess told NBC Sports that Lee will return to training at Midwest next week, with an eye on Spring 2027 for her competitive return
As far as the goal for LA? Jess said, among them, is a desire to win an Olympic medal on beam. Lee has qualified to the beam final at the past two Games, finishing fifth in Tokyo and sixth in Paris. Errors kept her from contending for the podium in both instances
