Coming from someone else, it would have sounded like a cliché. When Suni Lee said it Friday, that shopworn phrase — I’m just happy to be here — brimmed with genuine relief and joy.
The St. Paul native really was grateful to be at the Winter Cup gymnastics meet in Louisville, Ky., competing on uneven bars and balance beam. A few months ago, her coach was just trying to lure the defending Olympic all-around champion out of depression and into the gym. As Lee battled a kidney ailment that interrupted her training, this summer’s Paris Olympics seemed an unlikely goal.
She’s still trying not to think too far ahead. On Saturday, though, Lee took her first step back onto the road toward the Paris Games — and toward a shot at gymnastics immortality. She attempted a new skill on bars at the Winter Cup, one that will be named for her if she completes it at an international meet.
In her first competition since last summer’s national championships, Lee, 20, fell twice during her bars routine and once during her beam set. On Friday, she revealed she is in remission from the kidney condition, which limited her ability to train and compete for the past year.
She came off the bar Saturday while trying the new skill, a release move called a layout Jaeger with a full twist. Though Lee was disappointed, she was undeterred, telling reporters in Louisville, “You can’t get anywhere without failing.”
Besides, after everything she’s overcome, she was truly happy just to get back in the game.
“A lot of the other coaches [were saying], ‘Just be grateful you’re here,’” Lee said. “I’ve been super grateful.
“[The performance] obviously wasn’t what I wanted. But I haven’t trained for that long, so it’s going to happen. I’ll take it with a grain of salt and just keep pushing.”
