Suni Lee Details Having Mental Breakdown Before Olympic Team Finals

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2024 Olympics: Gymnast Suni Lee Reveals Why She Fell Off Balance Beam

Hours earlier Suni Lee helped pb the U.S. gymnastics squad to triumph astatine the 2024 Olympics, she was successful a authorities of panic.

The 21-year-old suffered a intelligence breakdown the nighttime earlier she, Simone BilesJade Carey and Jordan Chiles competed in the women’s gymnastics squad all-around final July 30, wherever they and teammate Hezly Rivera ultimately took location gold.

And for Lee, it was her teammates who yet helped rally her, with Chiles summoning Biles to springiness their chap returning champ a pep talk.

"You request to locomotion astir similar you’re the reigning Olympic champion, and you request to ain it,’” Lee recalled of Biles’ words successful an interrogation with Glamour published Oct. 3. "'You request to punctual yourself that you’re bully enough, and you are connected this squad for a reason.'"

Lee, who noted that she typically has a bully outcry earlier a competition, began her 2024 Olympic travel 3 years aft winning her archetypal Olympic golden medal—in the women's all-around gymnastics final, astatine the Tokyo Olympics successful 2021.

Per Glamour, she didn't deliberation she deserved that honor, which came aft Biles withdrew from the event—something galore viewers repeated connected societal media.

At the 2024 Olympics, Lee went connected to triumph bronze medals successful the women's all-around gymnastics final—with Biles winning gold—and successful the uneven bars event. But she fell successful her past competition, the equilibrium beam final, coming successful sixth place.

"That wasn’t however I wanted to extremity my Olympics successful Paris, and I was a small disappointed, but astatine the extremity of the day, I was ace arrogant of myself due to the fact that I made it to the Olympics," Lee said. "I didn’t adjacent deliberation that I was going to beryllium here."

Alex Gottschalk/DeFodi Images via Getty Images

After all, Lee’s instrumentality to the mat astatine the Olympics came aft a hard wellness battles. In 2023, she was diagnosed with 2 kidney diseases, which caused her to summation much than 40 pounds from h2o retention and prompted her to instrumentality six months disconnected grooming earlier returning to the gym this past January to vie for a spot connected the U.S. Olympic team.

“Nobody knows this, but the week earlier the Olympic trials," she said, "I had to get an infusion due to the fact that I went into a relapse."

Now, aft her 2024 Olympic journey, Lee is successful a amended spot successful her life.

"Not adjacent conscionable physically but mentally, to wherever I tin judge everything that’s happened," the six-time Olympic medalist said. “Not galore radical get to travel present doubly and vie with the champion of the best. I conscionable felt perfectly amazing. And present I’ve learned to truly instrumentality everything in, and I deliberation that’s wherefore I’m truthful blessed with all of my medals."

Look backmost astatine immoderate of the astir affectional moments astatine the 2024 Olympics...

Michael Reaves/Getty Images

Aug. 10: Sport Climbing

Gold medalist Janja Garnbret of Team Slovenia celebrates with metallic medalist Brooke Raboutou of Team USA aft they completed the women's Boulder & Lead final.

Christian Petersen/Getty Images

Aug. 9: Track & Field

First-time Olympian Sha'carri Richardson of Team USA looks connected aft winning her archetypal Olympic golden medal by placing archetypal successful the women's 4x100m relay final.

Kirill KUDRYAVTSEV / AFP

Aug. 8: Track & Field

Team USA's Tara Davis-Woodhall embraces her hubby and Paralympic jock Hunter Woodhall aft winning the women's agelong leap final. 

Andrzej Iwanczuk/NurPhoto/Shutterstock

Aug. 8: Canoe Sprint

Joan Antoni Moreno and Diego Dominguez of Team Spain outcry successful solemnisation aft the men's canoe treble 500m final. 

Panoramic/SIPA/Shutterstock

Aug. 7: Marathon Race Walk Mixed Relay

Spain's Maria Perez and Alvaro Martin popular champagne to observe their golden medals. 

Ryan Browne/Shutterstock

Aug. 7: Cycling

Kelland O'Brien of Team Australia is affectional aft his team, besides including Sam Welsford, Conor Leahy and Oliver Bleddyn, won gold. The Austalian cyclists acceptable a caller satellite grounds with 3:40.730. 

Patrick Smith/Getty Images

Aug. 6: Track & Field

TEAM USA's Gabby Thomas snaps a selfie with her partner Spencer McManes aft winning golden successful the women's 200m final. 

Michael Steele/Getty Images

Aug. 6: Track & Field

Cole Hocker of Team USA celebrates aft winning the golden for the men's 1500m. Hocker won by .14 seconds. 

Dave Winter/Shutterstock

Aug. 5: Pole Vault 

Swedish jock Armand Duplantis celebrates aft mounting a caller satellite grounds successful the men's rod vault. 

Simon West/Action Plus/Shutterstock

Aug. 5: Badminton 

An Se-young of Korea celebrates aft defeating He Bingjiao of China 2-0 successful their match. 

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Aug. 5: Surfing 

Johanne Defay hugs Simon Paillard, her hubby and coach, aft winning bronze for France. 

Javier Garcia/Shutterstock

Aug. 5: Gymnastics 

Simone Biles hugs an affectional Jordan Chiles aft winning bronze for the women's level regular final, marking Chiles' archetypal idiosyncratic Olympic medal. 

Jamie Squire/Getty Images

Aug. 2: Gymnastics 

Britain's Bryony Page is ecsatic aft winning golden for the women's trampoline last successful gymnastics. 

Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images

Aug. 2: Fencing 

Team Czechia's Michal Cupr, Jiri Beran, Jakub Jurka, Martin Rubes celebrate aft defeating France for the men's bronze medal. 

LOIC VENANCE/AFP via Getty Images

Aug. 1: Gymnastics

USA gymnast Simone Biles beams aft winning golden successful the women's all-around final, sporting her "GOAT" necklace.

Matthew Stockman/Getty Images

Aug. 1: Tennis

Great Britain's Andy Murray—who announced his status earlier the Paris Games—tearfully bids farewell to the assemblage aft being eliminated alongside Dan Evans successful the men's doubles.

Bai Yu/CHINASPORTS/VCG via Getty Images

Aug. 1: Table Tennis

Tomokazu Harimoto of Team Japan lets disconnected immoderate steam during his lucifer against China's Fan Zhendong.

Richard Ellis/UPI/Shutterstock

Aug. 1: Swimming

Men's 200m backstroke metallic medalist Apostolos Christou of Greece gets affectional portion lasting connected the podium.

Joris Verwijst/BSR Agency/Getty Images

Aug. 1: Tennis

Spanish tennis Carlos Alcaraz lets retired a victorious shriek aft defeating Tommy Paul of Team USA successful men's single.

SEBASTIEN BOZON / AFP via Getty Images

July 31: Diving

Great Britain's bronze medalists Andrea Spendolini Sirieix and Lois Toulson stock a earthy infinitesimal aft the women's synchronized 10m level diving final.

Pascal GUYOT / AFP via Getty Images

July 31: Soccer

Korbin Albert gets affectional aft scoring a extremity successful the women's shot game.

Sarah Stier/Getty Images

July 31: Swimming

Team Sweden's Sarah Sjoestroem celebrates her golden medal successful the Women's 100m Freestyle Final.

Quinn Rooney/Getty Images

July 31: Swimming

Team USA's Katie Ledecky reacts to winning golden successful the Women's 1500m Freestyle Final.

Richard Ellis/UPI/Shutterstock

July 31: Swimming

French swimmer Anastasiia Kirpichnikova cries tears of joyousness aft seeing her metallic medal-winning clip successful women's 1500m freestyle event.

Luis ROBAYO / AFP via Getty Images

July 31: Judo 

Serbia's Nemanja Majdov (L) and Greece's Theodoros Tselidis (R) stock a infinitesimal aft their circular successful the men's 90kg circular of 16 successful judo. Tselildis, who bushed Majdov, aboriginal won the bronze medal. 

Franck FIFE / AFP via Getty Images

July 31: Sabre

Manon Apithy-Brunet (L) kisses her hubby France's Bolade Apithy aft his squad bushed Egypt. 

Ezra Shaw/Getty Images

July 31: Triathalon 

Gold medalist Alex Yee of Team Great Britain and metallic medalist Hayden Wilde of Team New Zealand stock a subtle celebratory infinitesimal aft crossing the decorativeness line. 

Cameron Spencer/Getty Images

July 31: Rugby 

Team New Zealand leaps for joyousness aft beating Canada successful the Women's Rugby Sevens Gold medal match. 

Michael Reaves/Getty Images

July 31: Field Hockey

Agustina Gorzelany of Team Argentina celebrates her team's archetypal extremity successful a lucifer against Spain. Argentina ended up winning the lucifer 2-1. 

Charles McQuillan/Getty Images

July 31: Shooting

Team Guatemala's Adriana Ruano Oliva gets affectional aft realizing she's won the golden medal—her country's precise first—in the shooting trap women's final. 

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