Olympic all-around champ Sunisa Lee is happy competing again. She also wants a skill named for her
Simply competing is an encouraging sign that Sunisa Lee is in a healthy place
LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) — Simply competing is an encouraging sign that Sunisa Lee is in a good, healthy place, especially the latter.
Health is obviously a huge matter considering the reigning Olympic all-around champion endures a kidney-related issue that halted her college career after her sophomore season last year at Auburn — and is rebounding from the emotional lows that followed. All of which makes Lee’s work toward having an uneven bars skill named after her as impressive as taking the year’s first competitive step toward this summer’s Paris Games.
“I’m doing really good,” Lee said after Friday morning’s workout for Saturday’s USA Gymnastics Winter Cup. “I’m in remission now. We’ve got it pretty much under control for now, so we’re just kind of like keeping it consistent and trying to stay consistent with everything. Not changing any times that I’m taking my meds and just, like, trying to go slow, I guess.”
Indeed, Lee insists she’s focusing on the present rather than looking ahead to the Olympics. But as she went through rotations on the bars and balance beam in preparation for Saturday's USA Gymnastics Winter Cup at the Kentucky International Convention Center, it seemed it might not be long before she takes it up a notch.