Suni Lee Eyes LA 2028 Comeback: “I Just Kind of Want to See Where I’m At”
Two-Time Olympic Gold Medalist Hints at Return on the Today Show
Could Suni Lee be strapping on her bar grips for one more Olympic run? The two-time Olympic gold medalist appeared on NBC’s Today Show on February 23, 2026, and for the first time since Paris, gave gymnastics fans a genuine reason to believe a Suni Lee LA 2028 Olympics comeback could actually happen — on her terms, and on her timeline.
Lee sat down with Today to kick off the countdown to the Los Angeles Games, and her message was measured but unmistakably hopeful. She told hosts she plans to let her body guide the decision, explaining that she put far too much pressure on herself heading into Paris 2024 and doesn’t intend to make that mistake again.
“I think last Olympics I put so much pressure on myself,” Lee said during the segment. “I just kind of want to see where I’m at and how my body feels.”
For anyone who has followed Suni’s journey — and if you haven’t, buckle up — that statement carries enormous weight.
Why This Matters: The Comeback Story That Never Stopped
To understand why Suni Lee even talking about LA 2028 is remarkable, you have to understand what she has already overcome. In 2023, Lee was diagnosed with not one but two rare kidney diseases — a diagnosis that doctors warned could prevent her from ever competing at the Olympic level again.
She didn’t just compete. She went to Paris and won. She contributed to Team USA’s team gold alongside Simone Biles, Jordan Chiles, Jade Carey, and Hezly Rivera, and she added bronze medals in both the all-around and uneven bars to her personal haul. In July 2025, she was awarded the ESPY for Best Comeback Athlete — bringing her doctor, Dr. Marcia Faustin, as her guest to honor the woman who guided her through the darkest stretch of her career.
Now, just 18 months removed from standing on that Paris podium, she’s watching the 2026 Winter Olympics with friends like snowboarder Chloe Kim — and clearly, the Olympic fire hasn’t gone out.
What She Said on the Today Show — And What It Means
Lee was careful not to make a firm commitment, and that’s smart. She’s 22 years old, managing a chronic kidney condition she’s been open about having for life, and navigating a post-Paris chapter that has included a move to New York City and a thriving presence in fashion and brand partnerships. Her hesitation isn’t fear — it’s wisdom.
But the fact that she appeared on national television, in a Team USA jacket, talking about the countdown to LA 2028 with genuine enthusiasm? That’s not the language of someone who has walked away from the sport.
She also spoke about her friendship with Chloe Kim and the bond she’s built with the broader Team USA athlete community — a community she clearly still sees herself as part of. Watching the Winter Olympics from the sidelines seemed to reignite something in her rather than remind her of what she left behind.
From where I sit — as someone who has spent years in elite gymnastics — this reads like an athlete in the early stages of making a decision, not one who has already made it. The public conversation is part of her process.
The Case For a Suni Lee Comeback
Let’s talk gymnastics reality. LA 2028 is two and a half years away. Suni Lee would be 25 at those Games — well within the competitive range for a gymnast of her caliber. Simone Biles was 27 in Paris. Age is no barrier here.
Her technical arsenal remains elite. On uneven bars, she is arguably the best in the world when healthy — her bar work has always been ahead of the field. Her all-around credentials speak for themselves: Tokyo all-around gold, Paris all-around bronze, and an NCAA title on beam at Auburn. She knows how to win at every level.
The bigger question is her health. Kidney disease is a permanent condition, and she’s been admirably transparent about the fact that it will always be part of her life. Managing that condition through a multi-year training build toward LA 2028 would be a serious undertaking, requiring the kind of individualized medical support she developed with Dr. Faustin heading into Paris.
But she did it once. And she won.
What This Means for the LA 2028 Gymnastics Landscape
The 2028 Games in Los Angeles will be a massive moment for American gymnastics. The sport will be competing on home soil, in front of a US audience that fell in love with gymnastics all over again in Paris. The commercial and cultural stakes are enormous.
If Suni Lee is healthy and competing at her peak in 2028, she becomes an anchor of that story — a hometown hero narrative that writes itself. Her Hmong-American identity, her kidney disease journey, her two Olympic cycles, her ESPY win, her comeback from the brink — all of it converges in Los Angeles in a way that no other gymnast can replicate.
The question of whether Simone Biles will also make a fourth Olympic run would make for the greatest American gymnastics storyline in history. And it would all unfold on American soil. The sport doesn’t need that to happen — but if it does, it will be extraordinary to watch.
For now, keep your eyes on Suni Lee. She’s watching the Olympics, she’s staying connected to the community, and she’s not ruling anything out. In athlete-speak, that’s often as close to a yes as you’ll get this far out.
The countdown to LA 2028 has officially begun. And with Suni Lee in the conversation, it just got a whole lot more interesting. Follow our elite gymnastics coverage to stay up to date on every development as the road to Los Angeles takes shape.
