PARIS – Auburn’s Sunisa Lee put together an epic comeback Thursday to win another medal at the Paris 2024 Olympics, taking bronze in all-around final with a 56.465. Lee won gold in the all-around final at the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo.
“It has taken so much to get here,” Lee said. “I really didn’t think I would get on the podium. It’s just crazy that I’m here. I did everything that I could. I just went out there and told myself to not put any pressure on myself. I wanted to prove to myself that I could do it because I didn’t think that I could.”
“It was just so much fun to see her out there in her element aga’ so in after all that she’s been through,” Auburn head coach Jeff Graba said. “I’m so proud of her determination and dedication and so relieved with her recovery. The bronze medal was just the icing on the top. She had already achieved everything she needed to by just coming back. It’s so fun to watch the competition and great to hear the Auburn faithful support her. Even in Paris, the Auburn Family turns out!”
After starting out the meet in seventh place following the first rotation, Lee battled back the next two rounds and climbed into a tie for fourth after the third rotation with floor remaining.
Needing a 13.534 to reach the podium, Lee put together her best floor routine of the week and scored a 13.666 to pass Italy’s Alice D’Amato for a medal.
Lee led off the meet as the first one up on vault, scoring a 13.933 and starting off the day in seventh. She moved up to fifth following bars in rotation two after earning a 14.866, the second-highest bars score of the day.
Lee and the other leaders moved to beam for rotation three where the former Tiger finished with a 14.000, moving her into a tie for fourth with Algeria’s Kaylia Nemour. Lee’s dramatic finish on floor in the final rotation pushed her past Nemour (13.100) and D’Amato (13.500) for bronze.
Simone Biles won gold for the United States with a 59.131, while Brazil’s Rebeca Andrade took silver for the second straight Olympics with a 57.932. Lee edged out D’Amato’s 56.333 to take third with the Italian finishing fourth.
Up next, Lee will go for gold on the uneven bars (August 4, 8:40 a.m. CT) and beam (August 5, 5:36 a.m. CT).