Suni Lee rotated her body on a horizontal axis in an upward movement between the uneven bars, bending space and time a little.
Coach Jess Grubba stepped back and let Li do her routine. Li extended her legs perpendicular to her body, straightened them out and began to build momentum. The routine had been flawless up to this point. The crowd, the home crowd, collectively calmed down before the landing.
Lee jumped, did a wild somersault, twisted his body and landed cleanly.
Great confusion ensued.
Amid continuing applause, the score was announced: 14.875, her best on bars over two nights of the U.S. Olympic Trials at Target Center. Even though it was recorded early Sunday night, it felt like a coronation moment for Lee's return to the highest level of competition.
The St. Paul native will be making her Olympic return alongside Simone Biles, Jordan Childs, Jade Carey and Hesly Rivera on the U.S. women's gymnastics team in Paris.
“I was surrounded by people who reminded me of my goals every day and never let me give up,” Lee told the crowd. “I never would have thought this would happen a year ago, so I'm so grateful.” Then, as fans chanted her name, she began to cry.
Making the U.S. Olympic team in Paris capped a physical and mental ordeal that began more than a year ago, when Li announced she had serious kidney problems, one of which was incurable, so severe that it prematurely ended her collegiate career at Auburn University. Doctors said she may never be able to compete again.
Despite the pressure of qualifying at home, she competed with confidence and earned her place on the Olympic team for the second time.
“I can't wait to go to Paris!” Lee exclaimed.
Biles, Lee, Chiles and Carey are competing in the Tokyo Olympics and form an unusual team of gymnasts, most of whom are in their 20s or so. Rivera, 16, from New Jersey, is the youngest member of Team USA heading to Paris. The team's two alternates, Jocelyn Roberson and Liane Wong, will travel with them.
The team will be looking to return the United States to the top of the podium after finishing second to the Russian Olympic Committee in Tokyo after Biles withdrew. The U.S. women's team won gold medals in 2012 and 2016.
“We know we're stronger than we showed in Tokyo, so I think this has to be about us, not anybody else,” Biles said. “That's not what we're about. We're doing it for ourselves, for the love of the sport and the love of representing the United States.”
Biles completely captivated the crowd at the Trials, where her thrilling performances on the vault and floor were met with raucous reactions of amazement as she pulled off some of the most technically challenging routines in the sport's history.
She won the all-around with 117.225 points, receiving top scores on vault and floor exercise. Lee received top scores on balance beam and took second place with 111.675 points. Chiles placed third all-around behind Lee (111.425), Carey placed fourth (111.350), and Rivera shared top scores on balance beam to take fifth place (111.150).
The 27-year-old Biles heads to Paris in top form after a “windy road” she hit during the Tokyo Olympics that forced her to withdraw from most of the action.
“I wasn't done after my performance in Tokyo,” Biles said. “I knew if I just got back in the gym, worked hard, trusted the process and kept working hard, I'd be back.”
Li's comeback was as shaky as her Olympic all-around medal return, when she captured national attention in Tokyo with a bronze medal on the uneven bars and a silver medal in the team event.
Her accomplishments this weekend were equally astounding.
“Gymnastics is hard enough in itself, but I struggled for her knowing she had to battle with her mental state,” said Alicia Sacramone Quinn, strategy lead for the U.S. national team. “I'm never one to give up on anyone because you never know what's going to happen, but I know it's been a tough journey.”
Those heats were riddled with injuries, with Skye Blakely and Kayla DiCello both rupturing their Achilles tendons and forcing them to withdraw, and Cirice Jones injuring her knee while vaulting in warmups on Friday and sitting out Sunday. All three were considered strong contenders to make the Olympic team.
Still, those difficult moments didn't detract from the final night of the Olympic Trials. It was a moment of celebration for Minneapolis, capping off nine days of events that saw thousands of athletes compete in multiple venues and hundreds of thousands of spectators. It was the largest event USA Gymnastics has ever hosted.
“I can't believe I'm being tried in my own country,” Lee said. “I'm so grateful for the love and support this city has given me.”
Li's final rotation was on the vault, where she sprinted down the runway, shot up into the air, and landed with a slight bounce back as the crowd continued to cheer as she walked down the steps, turned around and waved.
Though we still had to wait for official news, everyone in the room already knew that the St. Paul-born star would be returning to the world's biggest stage.
