The results are in, and Suni Lee is heading to Paris for the 2024 Olympics as one of five women, including the most-decorated gymnast Simone Biles , to qualify for the U.S. women’s gymnastics team.
Lee, a Minnesota-raised 21-year-old, became a household name during the Tokyo Olympics when she took home the gold medal in the individual all-around and helped propel her team to silver. However, the road to Paris has not been smooth sailing for Lee, who told TODAY this week that “ it feels absolutely insane ” to be marching toward her second Olympics representing Team USA. With recent health obstacles and the pressure to perform, Lee knows all too well that reaching success is much more than physical training alone.
Lee swears by a daily mental ritual to calm her nerves and get in confidence mode, which includes journaling four to five pages before every competition. “I’m feeling so much in the moment,” Lee tells Fortune about her competition-day nerves. Lee, who has partnered with pharmaceutical giant Eli Lilly and Company , a health equity sponsor of Team USA, says “I like to write down my keywords, trying to remember my why, things that I need to remember when I’m out there competing and simple things like just telling myself affirmations and to breathe because that’s something that I struggle with when I’m competing.
” Last year, Lee was diagnosed with an incurable kidney disease that forced her to take a training hiatus. However, she kept her sights on t.