Suni Lee Says She Is 'So Grateful' After U.S. Classic Performance: 'I Can Overcome Hard Things'

The gymnast's career was nearly derailed in April after a kidney injury caused her to cut her collegiate career short

Suni Lee hopes her latest performance inspires others.

In an Instagram post after this weekend's Core Hydration Classic in Illinois, Lee shared that she was "feeling blessed & so so grateful" to make a return to gymnastics. The three-time Olympic medalist earned a 14.5 score on beam and 13.5 on vault.

"This comeback was so much more than my return to elite gymnastics," she explained. "It was me proving to myself that I can overcome hard things and to hopefully inspire others to never let life’s setbacks stop you from going after your dreams. See y’all in San Jose🌟."

Related: Suni Lee Announces She's Ending Her College Gymnastics Career Early Due to a Kidney Condition

The performance marked the 20-year-old's return to competition since announcing the end of her collegiate career in April. While Lee had previously shared that she would be training exclusively for the 2024 Paris Olympic Games following her sophomore year at Auburn University, her Division 1 NCAA gymnastics career ended early due to a kidney injury.

"I am blessed and thankful to be working with the best specialized medical team to treat and manage my diagnosis. My focus at this time is my health and recovery," she wrote in a statement shared on Twitter (now known as X). The St. Paul, Minnesota native explained that the injury was a "non-gymnastics related issue."

Related: Suni Lee Plans to Leave College Gymnastics After This Year: 'I Have My Sights Set' on 2024 Olympics

Lee shared in her announcement that calling an end to her collegiate career was "challenging" but only made her more motivated to compete in the 2024 Olympics in Paris. "I will not stop pursuing my dreams for a bid to Paris in 2024. In fact, this experience has sharpened my vision for the future," she wrote.

She touched on her motivation to inspire others during a conversation with PEOPLE in October.

"That's kind of the goal, I think, to be an inspiration to others," she said. "And because growing up, I never really had somebody that looked like me, I guess, competing at the Olympics, and it's great to be somebody that can make such a big impact on others."

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Speaking about equality in sports, she added, "I definitely think this is just the beginning. We're just finally starting to break through, I almost feel like. So I think in the future, women are going to be greater than ever and it's exciting to see."

The gymnasts chosen to represent Team USA in Paris will be determined at team trials in June 2024 at the Minneapolis Convention Center. Lee won the all-around gold medal at the 2020 Tokyo Games in 2021, as well as silver in the team competition and bronze in the uneven bars event.

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