Suni Lee Reveals 2027 Return Plans as She Aims to Become the “Strongest” She’s Ever Been

When Suni Lee was diagnosed with two kidney diseases, she feared her gymnastics career might be over. But Lee refused to give up. She fought her way back at the Paris 2024 Olympics, winning three medals despite the challenges she had faced. After Paris, she took time away from elite competition, but her Olympic journey was far from over. In 2026, Lee returned to training with her sights set on the Los Angeles 2028 Olympics. But before she takes another shot at Olympic glory, Lee already has big plans for 2027, revealing her competition goals and a renewed determination to become the strongest she has ever been.

Lee opened up about her plans during Part 2 of her first interview with TheBrothersGraba, published on October 6. Speaking with coaches Jeff and Jess Graba, she made it clear that she wants to return to major competitions in 2027. “I have goals,” Lee said. “I want to go to (U.S.) Classics, (U.S.) Championships and then worlds selections and then make world team. That is the plan right now.”

The 2027 U.S. Classic is scheduled for July 24 in Hoffman Estates, Illinois, near Chicago. The U.S. Championships typically take place in August, followed by the World Championships selection process. The 2027 World Artistic Gymnastics Championships are scheduled for September 29 to October 8 in Chengdu, China. If Lee follows her proposed schedule, she will have several opportunities to test her progress before the international selection process.

However, Lee knows that setting competition goals is only part of the process. Before deciding which skills she will include in her routines, she needs more time in the gym to assess her progress and build consistency.

“I have to do more of each skill to be able to determine what skills are going to be able to go in and what I’m going to be able to do at the end of my routine or when I’m dying on number 40,” Lee explained.

Alongside her plans for 2027, Lee also spoke about the changes she is making to her training routine. She explained that her days currently involve gymnastics practice, followed by visits to Training Haus for physical therapy, recovery work, and strength training. Building strength has not always been her favorite part of gymnastics. 

“We struggled with it a little last time, but not much. I’m lazy. Yeah. And I hate getting strong,” she said. This time, though, the Olympic champion is determined to approach things differently. She revealed that she has been working out more as she prepares for her return, with one personal goal guiding her efforts. “I’m trying to be the strongest I’ve ever been in my life,” Lee said. And that will bring her one step closer to her ultimate goal of competing at the Los Angeles 2028 Olympics.

Suni Lee targets balance beam Olympic medal as she sets sights on LA 2028 comeback

Suni Lee’s goal for the Los Angeles 2028 Olympics goes beyond simply returning to the Games. After kidney disease disrupted her preparation for Paris 2024, she wants the chance to compete with more preparation time, stay as healthy as possible, and show the full extent of her abilities. There is also one Olympic medal she still hopes to win: an individual medal on the balance beam, an event where she narrowly missed the podium in both Tokyo and Paris.

Her coach, Jess Graba, explained that Lee felt she had earned a medal on the balance beam but left both previous Olympics without one. She finished fifth in the event in Tokyo and sixth in Paris, making a beam medal a personal goal for her next Olympic campaign. As Graba put it, “She felt like she was a medalist on beam, and we didn’t get one.”

Lee has also spoken about wanting another chance to show what she can do. In an interview with People in July 2026, she said, “Honestly, I just felt like I had so much more in the tank.” She added, “I think this time around I want to give myself that chance.” Her comeback is not simply about chasing another medal. Lee wants to find out what she can achieve with more time to prepare and better control over her training, while keeping her health in focus.

The post Suni Lee Reveals 2027 Return Plans as She Aims to Become the “Strongest” She’s Ever Been appeared first on EssentiallySports.