Suni Lee wins bronze in women's uneven bars final for third medal at 2024 Olympic Games

Suni Lee has added another piece of hardware to her collection. On Sunday, the standout US gymnast scored a 14.800 to secure the bronze medal in the women’s uneven bars event. Lee was thrilled with her performance.

“This one just meant so much more because last Olympics I got the bronze medal, but it obviously wasn’t the routine that I wanted,” Lee said. “This time, I was like, ‘You know what? Even if I make podium and I get third place, whatever, it’s better than the routine that I did last time.’

“I’m so happy this time around because I feel like I did everything in my power to just keep the consistency coming, and that’s exactly what I did today.”

It was a clutch performance from Lee, who was the final gymnast to perform in the event. Lee has now tallied six medals in her Olympic career, tied with Aly Raisman for the third-most ever by a US gymnast. Moreover, she boasts three medals at the 2024 Paris Olympics: bronze in all-around and uneven bars and gold in team.

Suni Lee wins an uneven bars bronze medal with a fantastic routine in the final! #ParisOlympics

📺 NBC and Peacock pic.twitter.com/0V1TGS25sp

— NBC Olympics & Paralympics (@NBCOlympics) August 4, 2024

Although Lee makes it look easy in front of the millions of eyes watching, it’s been a long road to success. After sweeping onto the scene at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, Lee was diagnosed with two kidney diseases, one of which is incurable, in 2023.

The diseases caused Lee’s body to swell significantly and often suffered fits of nausea. Lee’s condition forced her to step away from gymnastics for six months. However, in April 2024, Lee announced she was in remission from the disease and she battled back to compete in the Olympics.

Lee opened up on her emotional journey after her performance on Sunday.

“Honestly, I couldn’t do it without the support of my teammates and my coaches,” Lee said. “I’m just so happy that it’s almost over with. But, yeah, I’ve had to go through so much, and my doctors have been super supportive. Nobody ever let me give up. I’m so grateful because who knows what I would have been doing by now if they did? But yeah, I just can’t believe that I’m here.”

Suni Lee isn’t done yet. On Monday, Lee will compete in the beam final with a chance to reel in one more medal. Despite already hauling in a boatload of accomplishments, Lee believes she still has gas in the tank.

“There’s a lot left,” Lee said. “I feel like I have so much more to redeem. Every single time I do beam final, I never show what I’m capable of. So, this time around, I’m just going up there and giving it my all.”