MINNEAPOLIS – Defending Olympic gold medalist and Auburn Tiger Sunisa Lee punched her ticket to the Paris Olympic Games after finishing second in the all-around at the USA Gymnastics Olympic Trials Sunday night at the Target Center in Minneapolis.
“I never thought I would be here and it’s really just now hitting me,” Lee said. “I’m so happy and so glad that I never gave up after all that I’ve been through. I can’t believe that I’m here and it’s just insane.”
Lee competed for the Tigers for two seasons, winning an NCAA title on beam and a SEC title on bars in 2022 and finishing as a 10-time All-American.
“After all the adversity that Suni has been through, it’s just so exciting and relieving to see her achieve her dream of going back to the Olympics,” Auburn head coach Jeff Graba said. “It’s been a wild ride these last three years and we can’t wait to root for her at another Olympic games!
Lee finished second in the all-around with an 111.675 behind Simone Biles. Jordan Chiles, Jade Carey and Hezley Rivera were also named to the national team.
Lee led off the night on bars, scoring a 14.675 with a beautiful routine. That score pushed her two-day total to 29.275 to win the event.
After a struggle on beam in the second rotation, Lee rebounded with a stunning floor routine and scored a 13.85 in the third to hold on to third in the all-around after three rotations.
Lee capped the night with a 14.1 on vault to best her score from day one by over a half a point, solidifying her spot on the team.
Women’s gymnastics kicks off on July 28 at the Paris Olympic Games with the first round of team competition.