By Ainslie Lee

Auburn’s Sunisa Lee laughs as she talks with teammates during the NCAA women’s gymnastics championships Thursday, April 14, 2022, in Fort Worth, Texas.

Former Auburn gymnast Sunisa “Suni” Lee will soon be heading to Paris, where she’ll represent Team USA in the 2024 Paris Olympics and defend her all-around title after winning gold in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.

After spending the week in Minneapolis competing in the U.S. Olympic Trials, Lee wrapped up competition on Sunday night having finished second in the all-around competition, finishing behind Simone Biles, who won the automatic qualification bid after winning the all-around competition.

Lee punched her ticket to Paris after being selected by a strategic selection committee, which immediately got together to make their selections at the conclusion of Sunday’s competition. Lee and Biles will be joined in Paris by Jordan Chiles and Jade Carey and Hezly Rivera.

With Lee and Biles both making the team, Team USA becomes the first to field a gymnastics team with a pair of former all-around gold medalists as Biles also won gold in the all-around competition during the 2016 Rio Olympics.

For Lee, the 2024 Paris Olympics will make for her second appearance in the Olympic Games after competing in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics and breaking out with a gold medal-winning effort in the all-around competition.

In 2022, two years after her first Olympics appearance, Lee went on to string together the most decorated year in Auburn program history after securing eight All-American honors, winning an SEC title, a national title and being named the SEC Freshman of the Year.

In 2023, Lee competed in eight meets before being sidelined by a chronic kidney disease. Lee eventually withdrew from Auburn and didn’t return to training until January of this year, which made Sunday’s result that much more special for Lee.

“I was just reminded of my goals every day and just constantly surrounded by people who never let me give up. And I’m so thankful because a year ago, I didn’t even think this was possible,” an emotional Lee said during an interview with NBC. “I’m so grateful and all of these ladies are absolutely incredible. I can’t wait to be in Paris.”

Meanwhile, the women’s gymnastics competition opens on July 28 with a qualification round, followed by the women’s team final on July 30 and the women’s all-around final on August 1.

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