Lee looks toward Paris after battling kidney disease

NEW YORK — Olympic champion Sunisa Lee has said the kidney disease that threatened her gymnastics career is in remission and she feels better than ever, as she bids for a spot on Team USA at this year's Paris Games.

The 21-year-old, who won the all-around gold at the Tokyo Olympics, revealed late last year that the disease caused her face, fingers and legs to swell, making it difficult to even get out of bed at times.

"I was really nervous and obviously very sad, because gymnastics is all I know," she told Reuters at a Team USA media summit in New York last month.

"Getting sick was very random. It kind of happened one Tuesday, and it's something you can't wrap your head around."

Lee said the uncommon disease caused her to gain 20 kilograms of water weight.

"I kept flying off the bar because my fingers were so swollen that they didn't fit into my grips," she said, adding that treatment has made the incurable condition manageable.

"Now that I am doing a lot better, I am so grateful for the way that things turned out."

Lee said she feels great in practice and is looking forward to the Olympic trials, which will be held in her home state of Minnesota in June.

"Being in the gym consistently, I realized that I am so much better now with my gymnastics — even better than I was at the last Olympics — and that has motivated me," she said.

Lee has been helped along on her journey by four-time Olympic gold medalist Simone Biles, who withdrew from the team competition in Tokyo citing mental health issues.

"She is someone who inspires me every day," Lee said.

"She has helped me to be a lot more open about talking about my mental health."

Lee said that, despite reaching the mountaintop in Tokyo, where as an 18-year-old she won the all-around title, as well as bronze in the uneven bars and silver in the team event, she feels even more pressure now.

"Having the title at the last Olympics has added a tremendous amount of pressure," said Lee, who is the only Asian American woman to win Olympic gold in the all-around.

"But this time, I'm just trying to prove to myself that I deserve to be there."

Reuters