Swimsuit

Suni Lee Reflects on ‘One of the Best Years’ With Gorgeous Selfie, Olympics Memories and More

Suni Lee’s 2024 became one of her ‘best’ years.

Diana Nosa

Suni Lee photographed for SI Swimsuit in behind the scenes photo at The Boca Raton. Suit by St. Agni.
Suni Lee photographed for SI Swimsuit in behind the scenes photo at The Boca Raton. Suit by St. Agni. / SI Staff

Suni Lee is the champion of all champions for pushing through 2024, a year that she described as “one of the hardest years” when it first kicked off but later turned into the “best” years that she’s ever had.

Winning bronze in uneven bars and gold with Team USA at the Summer Olympics wasn’t the only milestone event this year. From lows like struggling with her incurable kidney disease, causing moments of doubt, to highs like becoming a spokesperson for the American Kidney Fund and posing for Sports Illustrated Swimsuit with a photo shoot that will be featured in the May magazine, it’s certainly been a year to remember for Lee. All the more reason why she took to Instagram to look back on 2024, taking in her journey one photo at a time.

Starting with a lovely selfie highlighting her unmistakable natural beauty, Lee gave her fans the rundown on the moments she favored the most. After her stunning selfie, she highlighted her time at the Olympics as one of the moments she is most grateful for. Her fans certainly echoed her pride in winning big because, in the comments section, they couldn’t help but pour out their admiration and love for this decorated individual.

“Proud of you and everything!” fellow gymnast Kayla DiCello wrote.

“Look at Suni. So inspirational 🥹,” another comment beautifully expressed.

“So so proud of you ❤️❤️,” Hezly Rivera stated in support.

Tennis player Coco Gauff commented a simple yet powerful “amazing ❤️” underneath the post as well.

Of course, Instagram photo dumps aren’t nearly enough for Lee to truly encapsulate all that she did in 2024. In addition to her victorious stint at the Paris Olympics, partnering with the American Kidney Fund to raise awareness for kidney diseases and prevention and attending events with fellow A-listers, Lee was also highlighted as one of the recipients of Glamour’s Women of the Year.

Dripped in the most elegant Oscar de la Renta bejeweled ombre mini dress, Lee gave an amazing speech honoring her fellow women who were celebrated by Glamour. She highlighted how each woman was a role model for her and how much she looked up to them in her own way.

“Thank you, Glamour. I’m incredibly honored to be here tonight among this group of phenomenal women,” Lee expressed. “Each of you leads in your own powerful way, and that really inspires me. I mean, I’m super young, so I look up to probably all of you in here. I mean, you guys are like my idols in here. But over the past year, I’ve learned that we’re all going to be faced with really big challenges in our lifetime, and they’re both going to be big and small. My advice: accept these challenges. They make life interesting and they give us grit as human beings.”

There’s no doubt that Lee is a force to be reckoned with and 2025 will be another big one for her.

Published
Diana Nosa
DIANA NOSA

After graduating from Rutgers University with degrees in Psychology and Theatre, Diana Nosa ventured off on the path of becoming an entertainment journalist. Having her start on various entertainment sites, she eventually found her way to Sports Illustrated Swimsuit in 2024 and has been working diligently ever since. Diana's interests include fashion, interior design and traveling. She's also an avid anime watcher and gamer––her favorite games being Elden Ring and Hollow Knight.

Home/SwimNews