Suni Lee hasn’t competed in all four events since her last full performance on February 24, 2023, during an Auburn dual meet. However, today, on May 18th, all attention is on Lee as she takes part in the U.S. Classic in Hartford, Connecticut. This springboard event will determine how well her Paris outing will be, but she might have run into a little chaos.

Hopes were dashed when Lee revealed she wouldn’t be able to take part in the all-around events, delivering a heartbreaking blow to her and her supporters. What adds insult to injury is also the fact that she will not be displaying her forte in one of her strongest suits in the apparatuses. Is it the end of the road for her this year, though?

After navigating not just one but two debilitating kidney diseases, she was looking for a welcome relief at her most recent Core Hydration outing, but alas, the gods did not favor her. Suni Lee had been gearing up for potential participation in the all-around competition at Saturday’s U.S. Classic. Despite showcasing her prowess on the bars during podium training on May 17th, it has been decided by the selection committee that Suni Lee won’t be competing in the Uneven Bars event. This decision stems from her lack of qualification for the US Championships on bars.

This decision is a pivotal moment in Suni Lee’s journey towards the Olympic team. While opting out of this competition affects her chances, there was an opportunity to petition here and potentially secure qualification for the Olympic trials scheduled from June 27th to 30th. It’s important to highlight that the petition process for nationals can be completed via video conference, as long as it’s done at least 7 days before the nationals.

However, this is another blow considering the fact that the uneven bars are her forte. The famed Nabieva that she perfected back in 2021 seems to be a relic of a time gone by. It is called so because it was derived by Russian Tatiana Nabieva. One instance would be the 2021 U.S. Gymnastics Championships itself, which saw her in pretty much her best form ever. As the whistle resounded throughout the Dickies Arena on the 4th of June, Lee was raring to go on the Nabieva.

Proving to be her pièce de résistance, she did falter a little with her leg separations in the routine but overall emerged victorious with a score of 15.300 with a breakup of (6.8 and 8.500) respectively. With this Litmus test now effectively passed, Tokyo was beckoning her name. In the land of the rising sun, she secured a bronze medal in the Uneven Bars with a D and an E score of 6.6 and 8.600 respectively. Her total of 15.200saw her trailing behind Nina Derwael of Belgium, who emerged as the gold medalist.

What’s more interesting to note is that the uneven bars in Tokyo had a demarcated difficulty level ascribed to each gymnast. Lee catapulted to the top with a 6.8, Derwael with a 6.7, and Andrade and Melnikova with a 6.3 respectively. She uncovered a Pandora’s box of how exactly gymnasts can perfect different variations in uneven bar routines. Her coach Jess Graba even noted her sinews and bemoaned ecstatically that, “She was off from the start.” She also added that her timing was a little out there –“She missed her cast at the beginning and that threw her timing off a bit. She had to fight the swing the rest of the way.”

Lee took the stage, literally and figuratively, and delivered a flourish though, notwithstanding her timing. he later added that –“Today wasn’t my best bar routine,” and further added that while the world was clamoring, rooting, and shouting her name from the rooftops, she wasn’t happy with her routine and the execution. She stated, “It was very difficult and really scary because I didn’t think I was going to be able to, considering my Nabieva wasn’t even that good, but I just stayed with it.” However, it’s been quite a while since Suni last participated in an all-around competition, adding another layer of significance to this decision.

However, the tables turned when she faced a tough challenge due to both kidney issues. This made her miss important competitions like the U.S. World Championships and Pan American Games last year.

Suni Lee’s resilient comeback journey

Since being diagnosed with a kidney problem, Suni Lee’s comeback in August 2023 was a big moment for her, though she only performed on vault and beam. She even logged the best score on the beam, but later she withdrew from the world championships selection event. However, this year she has participated in two competitions to ease back into the sport.

In February, at the Winter Cup in Louisville, Kentucky, Suni Lee embarked on a daring quest to etch her name in the annals of gymnastics history. With nerves of steel and determination in her heart, she unveiled a groundbreaking move—a full-twisting Jaeger catch-and-release—that held the promise of being immortalized with her name on the international stage.

However, fate had its own plans, as an unforeseen fall during her routines dealt a harsh blow, compelling her to withdraw from the event, albeit temporarily. Later, at the American Classic last month in April, Lee showed her skill with a strong performance, earning a qualifying score on the balance beam and vault once again. However, as Suni Lee takes to the stage today on May 18th, her journey becomes a must-watch spectacle.