Olympic gold medalist and student gymnast Sunisa Lee of the Auburn Tigers. Photo: Michael Chang/Getty Images
Olympic gold medalist Suni Lee said Tuesday that she will be ending her collegiate gymnastics career in order to train for the 2024 Paris Olympics.
Why it matters: Gymnasts rarely compete in multiple Olympics as the sport is often seen as "one and done." Modern stars like Simone Biles, Aly Raisman and Gabby Douglas have bucked that trend in recent years.
Driving the news: Lee, who competes for the Auburn Tigers, said in a Twitter post that she doesn't want to win only one Olympic gold medal and hopes to compete in the next Summer Games.
- She said the next season at Auburn will be the "most incredible season yet" before she moves on to begin training for the 2024 Olympics in Paris.
- "I have my sights set on Paris in 2024 and I know what I have to do to get there. I look forward to rolling up my sleeves and putting in the work," she said.
Flashback: The St. Paul native told Axios earlier this month that she remained unsure of competing in the next Olympics but she did “want to try.”
- “Right now I'm more focused on school and training. Because I do want to try and make the next Olympic team,” Lee told Axios.
The big picture: Lee — one of the top student-athletes with name, image and likeness sponsorship potential — rose to stardom during the 2020 Games in Tokyo.
- She won gold in the individual all-around competition, as well as a silver in the team event and a bronze in uneven bars.
- She will be attempting to defend her women's all-around competition title, which hasn't been done since Czechoslovakia's Vera Caslavska won in 1964 and 1968.
Go deeper: Suni Lee still has eyes on the 2024 Olympics