For a week, New York will be center of money-focused fight to slow climate change
Hungarian intelligence agency interviewed CEO linked to exploding Hezbollah pagers
Son of Uganda's president ends 2026 election bid
Hundreds of parachutists drop over Dutch heath to commemorate World War II operation
An Israeli strike on a school kills at least 22 people, Gaza Health Ministry says
US election uncertainty clouds UN climate finance progress
Seal marks her 50th birthday at a sanctuary. Sheba may be the oldest in captivity
Jackson marks 50th appearance for Chelsea with 2 goals in 3-0 win at West Ham
Oktoberfest is open. The world’s largest folk festival begins after ceremonial keg-tapping
Low brow and vulgar? Micro dramas shake up China's film industry, aim for Hollywood
Olympic gymnastics all-around champion Suni Lee revealed that at the height of dealing with a kidney disease last year, she retained 45 pounds in water weight that made her question whether a return to top form was even possible.
“My motivation started to fall,” Lee said this week at the Team USA media summit.
“I could not bend my legs the slightest, I couldn’t squeeze my fingers, my face was swollen,” Lee said. “I looked like a completely different person. It was very, very miserable.”
She said she lived with constant pain, nausea and lightheadedness.
“We have it under control now," she said. "We know what to do and the right medication to take.”
The then-18-year-old Lee was thrust into the spotlight at the Tokyo Games when teammate and reigning Olympic champion Simone Biles unexpectedly dropped out in the middle of the team final, citing her mental health. Lee hadn’t been in the original lineup for the U.S. team’s floor exercise but scored a team-best 13.666 to help the Americans claim a silver medal.
A few days later, Lee became the fifth straight American woman to win the Olympic all-around title, using a dazzling set on uneven bars — her signature event — to edge Brazil’s Rebeca Andrade in a tight final that turned Lee into a star.
On to Auburn University she went, but she left the Tigers upon falling ill after her sophomore season last year. She was never a sure thing to come back for Paris, but now she's expected to make the U.S. team, along with Biles, who is coming back as well.
“Initially I decided I wanted to come back because I really was only getting better and I love gymnastics,” Lee said. “I was not ready to be done and I wanted to prove to myself that I could be better than I was at the last Olympics.”
Lee is working on a new bars move that, if she pulls it off in an international competition, could be named after her in the sport's Code of Points.
She said she had a strong support system back home in Minneapolis, which helped her get back on the road to the Olympics.
“I was learning my new skill and I was still able to catch it even at less than 100%,” she said. “It made me realize how much better I was than I thought.”
___
AP Summer Olympics: https://apnews.com/hub/2024-paris-olympic-games
