Suni Lee's elite gymnastics career is not over.
The gold medalist in the all-around at the Tokyo Olympics said this will be her last season as a college gymnast at Auburn.
"As an athlete that has competed at the highest level, on the world's biggest stage, I've been fortunate enough to experience that once-in-a-lifetime feeling and the indescribable emotion when a gold medal is draped around your neck. But I don't want it to just be once in a lifetime," Lee said in a post on social media.
The Olympian said she knows it will take a lot of hard work and sacrifice to return to the Olympics, but she added that she's prepared to give it her all.
“I have my sights set on Paris in 2024, and I know what I have to do to get there," Lee said. "I’m looking forward to rolling up my sleeves and putting in the work.”
In her freshman season at Auburn, Lee won a national title on the balance beam and came second in the all-around.
Collegiate-level gymnastics has a different scoring system than elite level. Collegiate gymnastics still uses the 10-point scoring system that rewards precision and performance. The elite-level scoring system rewards points based on difficulty.
Several of Lee's Olympic teammates competed at the college level after the Tokyo Games. Jade Carry and Jordan Chiles both had successful seasons in college. They returned to elite gymnastics this year, competing in the World Championships, where the U.S. won gold in the team competition.
