Suni Lee did it. Against all odds, she made her way back on to the podium during the Olympic all-around competition Thursday in Paris, and she did it with a 10,000-watt smile.
Lee had to nail her floor routine on the last rotation of the competition to put herself in position for a bronze medal. She did just that. And it looked like she knew she had it locked up after her first pass, where she absolutely stuck the landing. She immediately broke out into a huge smile, as if she was surprised by how well she had done. She wore that expression for the rest of the routine.
Video is below.
Suni Lee’s smile after sticking that landing, she KNOWS she killed that! #olympics pic.twitter.com/XX2qskbZq4
— Aoife💃 (@aoifedevirgo) August 1, 2024
Another look.
SUNI LEE GOT ICE IN HER VEINS WITH A SMILE ON HER FACE BRONZE IS HERS pic.twitter.com/vmUlMk53cY
— correlation (@nosyone4) August 1, 2024
And a still.
Suni Lee was all smiles during her floor routine 😀
— The Sporting News (@sportingnews) August 1, 2024
She scores a 13.666 and has secured a medal in the women's individual all-around final 👀 pic.twitter.com/jhrJ019ENe
Lee needed a 13.533 to earn the bronze and wound up posting a score of 13.666. Then she watched as teammate Simone Biles crushed her floor routine, earning a 15.066 and winning the gold medal with a score of 59.131, a massive win over Brazil's Rebeca Andrade who finished at 57.932. Lee finished at 56.465.
At the 2020 Summer Olympics, Lee won gold in the individual all-around after Biles bowed out as she battled the twisties. In March of 2023, she was diagnosed with a kidney disease that derailed her career. She got back to competing early in 2024 this year and made the U.S. Olympic team, placing second in the all-around. Now she earned her way back on to the podium on the highest stage.
This article was originally published on www.si.com as Suni Lee Was All Smiles As She Crushed Floor Routine to Win Bronze Medal.
