The story of Suni Lee, the other Olympic gymnast who's faced unimaginable challenges.

The incredible comeback story that is Simone Biles' return to the Paris Olympic Games after pulling out of nearly every event in Tokyo due to mental health struggles and exhaustion is one for the ages.

Not only was the most highly decorated gymnast of all time brave enough to name the pressure that became too great a cost for her peace to pay, she then took some time, regathered her strength and returned to compete stronger than ever.

We love to see a strong woman channel vulnerability into strength, but she’s not the only Olympian with a tale of overcoming adversity. She's not even the only gymnast.

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US gold medallist Sunisa 'Suni' Lee was a shoo-in for the Paris team after taking out first place in the women’s gymnastics individual all-around final at the Tokyo Olympics, until a major curveball sidelined her in a way no one could have predicted.

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A post shared by Sunisa Lee (@sunisalee)

It began seemingly overnight, when she woke one day in February last year with swollen ankles. Putting it down to the rigours of training, it wasn’t until the following day - when she awoke to discover her hands, face and feet also filled with fluid — that she knew something was really wrong. 

"I just kept getting more swollen… and I think I gained, like, 40 pounds (18kg)," she told SELF Magazine, explaining that her training was immediately impacted. "I kept peeling off the bar. I couldn't hold on, my fingers were so swollen."

Weeks went on, with the athlete’s medical team at a loss as to what could be causing the swelling and weight gain. She was forced to sit out an important NCAA (National College Athletics Association) event the following month, as well as endure countless chronic and troubling symptoms that were still unexplained — everything from hot and cold flushes, nausea, dizziness and pain. Suni would often wake up with swelling so severe her eyes were swollen shut, and told the Team USA Media Summit earlier this year that the mental impact of this was so intense she found herself close to despair. 

"My motivation started to fall," she said, "I could not bend my legs the slightest, I couldn't squeeze my fingers, my face was swollen. I looked like a completely different person. It was very, very miserable."

After a barrage of tests, the source of Suni’s ailment was finally revealed — two separate, rare kidney disorders. 

While she is yet to reveal publicly the exact diagnoses, Suni has shared that they are rare and as yet, incurable. She is however receiving medication that treats the conditions.

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This treatment, it seems, was all the motivation Suni required to get back on the pommel horse.

While she admits she struggled at times with the random unfairness of it all ("How do I just randomly wake up one day swollen, and now I'm stuck with this condition for the rest of my life?" she asked SELF rhetorically in October last year) a modified training regime had her back competing mere months after her kidney issues were diagnosed.

In her first meet back — a competition in the States in August last year — Suni scored an impressive 14.5 on the balance beam, second only to her teammate Simone Biles, and took it as a sign that she was truly back on track. 

"Feeling blessed and so, so grateful," she wrote on Instagram after the event.

"This comeback was so much more than my return to elite gymnastics. 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."

Those dreams have not only landed Suni in Paris as planned, but in Sunday’s Individual All-Round qualifier she placed third, with a total score of 56.132. Simone Biles came in first, with a score of 59.566, which means that on Thursday's final, the pair will make Olympic history. It will be the first time that two former all-round champions (Biles in 2016, Suni in 2021) will face off against one another in an all-round final. 

Two women of colour. Two world-class athletes who have faced unimaginable challenges. If you needed an excuse to catch Olympic fever, these two might just be it. 

Watch the Olympics on Stan Sport, the only place to watch every event ad-free with 4K and international multi-language channels. Go to Stan.com.au/Olympics for more info.

Feature Image: Instagram @sunisalee.

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