Suni Lee is preparing for the Olympic Trials despite his battle with illness

MINNEAPOLIS— While most gymnasts traveled from far away to compete in the Olympic Trials here, Suni Lee did not.

The St. Paul native prepared – for the first time – for a high-stakes home game.

“I think it’s a bit of a mix right now,” said Lee’s coach, Jess Graba. “She’s a bit nervous because you’re at home. But it’s a bit weird because you don’t feel like you’re at home, but you are. But yeah, I think it’s great. We’re both really happy to be here and we can share our city and our surroundings with everyone. Luckily we have nice weather and a beautiful city center, it’s going to be really cool.

Wednesday morning, Lee wasn’t feeling her best. Lee coughed frequently during morning practice and quickly left the arena with an attack of nausea, after which she stopped her training.

“Yeah, she was a little sick this morning,” Graba said. “She’s fine. She did her assignment and I thought, ‘You don’t have to keep going, you just have to be ready.’ She just didn’t feel well this morning. But that’s fine. She was great yesterday. She’ll be fine tonight.”

The US has the strongest women’s gymnastics team in the world, even for the defending all-around gold medalist.

Lee has had a tumultuous run-up to these trials. She suffers from a kidney disease that has prevented her from training for a long time and is still on medication.

“She has overcome a lot of adversity,” said Alicia Sacramone, USA Gymnastics Women’s Strategy Lead. “I think if she can just have two great days of competition and be healthy and happy, that’s what I want to see from her.”