Suni Lee finds support at Auburn after Olympics ‘impostor syndrome’
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AUBURN, Ala. — Sunisa Lee curls up in a chair after practice one afternoon last month, her knees pulled tightly against her chest. The gymnastics star is wearing a pink hoodie with the words “happiness project” across the front, a reference to the apparel company by the same name that donates a portion of proceeds to mental health organizations and says its mission is to “show the world that it’s okay to not be okay.”
She’s discussing life after winning gold at the Tokyo Olympics last summer: the sense of “impostor syndrome” she says she feels; how she showed up to her freshman year at Auburn last fall unmotivated by gymnastics; the intense pressure to perform every week, which has led to anxiety attacks.
“There’s just been so much doubt like, ‘Oh, she shouldn’t have won the Olympics, blah, blah, blah,’ and it really hits my soul,” she says.
When Lee left Minnesota last summer, she had just turned 18 years old and wasn’t expected to challenge Simone Biles as the superstar of the games. Maybe Lee would sneak in a silver medal in the all-around competition or perhaps even a gold on bars. But when Biles shocked the sport by withdrawing from multiple events, citing her mental health, Lee suddenly found herself in the spotlight.
Not only did she rise to the occasion, she also won gold in the all-around. Just like that, Suni Lee became an overnight sensation.
A fall appearance on ABC’s primetime show “Dancing with the Stars” expanded her profile into popular culture, making her a full-fledged celebrity in just a few months. If she expected a normal college experience as she took on her next challenge of being a student-athlete at Auburn, she’s received the opposite.
“I would have thought I’d gotten used to it by now,” she says, “but I haven’t.”
A few months ago, she attended a basketball game and worked up the nerve to say hello to arguably the university’s most famous alumnus: NBA Hall of Fame forward-turned-television analyst Charles Barkley. But as Lee attempted…
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Source : espn
