Clinching gold at the Paris Olympics gave Suni Lee the clarity to finally step away and prioritize her health as she continues to battle a kidney issue. The break was necessary, but now the itch to compete is back. Sharing a throwback to her peak form, Lee admitted she misses the grind. And right on cue, Hezly Rivera fired a response at the 21-year-old, voicing the thoughts of every fan.

Recently, Lee took to her TikTok handle to share a clip of herself performing a vault from the Paris 2024 Olympics, captioning it, “grr I miss it.” The thrill, the excitement, the nervousness of competition — Suni Lee has been away from it all for almost a year now, and of course, she would miss those feelings. And she wasn’t the only one.

In the comments section, it was none other than Rivera pulling her leg, commenting, “so come backkk.” Replying to her, Lee added, “girl u crazy 😂😂😂,” seemingly dashing the hopes of anyone who was wondering whether an LA 2028 comeback was imminent. This isn’t the first time she’s alluded to the fact, with Lee liking a post earlier this year of her being listed as ‘retired’ on the FIG website.

While Rivera might want her back alongside her on the mats, Lee and Rivera share a close bond even outside gymnastics. Just a few months ago, the duo jumped on the Tate McRae ‘Revolving Door’ trend together.

That’s not all. Back when Rivera delivered a standout performance at the 2025 U.S. Gymnastics Championships, claiming the senior women’s all-around title with a commanding two-day total of 112.000, Suni Lee chimed in with support, commenting, “So Proud of this one 🥹.”

Rivera has even mentioned that Lee was like a big sister to her during the Paris Games, where Rivera was the youngest member of the entire U.S. delegation.

Taking a step away from the world of gymnastics, the 21-year-old has been exploring life in her own way this year. And while Simone Biles chose to travel the world, Suni Lee took a slightly different route; instead of countries, she’s been discovering new passions.

Suni Lee has been pursuing modeling during her break

“Dream team,” read one of Suni Lee’s Instagram posts earlier this year, which featured a powerhouse lineup of athletes such as Drew Allar, Anna Frey, Kiyan Anthony, Travis Kelce, Azzi Fudd, Lee herself, and Jeremiah Smith. She’d joined in to showcase the limited-edition clothing collection from the American Eagle collaboration with Travis Kelce’s official brand, Tru Kolors.

Soon after, she was also in attendance for the New York Fashion Week before walking down the runway herself in another head-turning moment at the Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show just last month.

Lee also dazzled around the swimming pool and later made a striking debut in the modeling world with Sports Illustrated Swimsuit back in May.

But exploring her new passions has come with its fair share of criticism from trolls online. But Lee isn’t paying it any mind. Speaking to People magazine, the athlete addressed the backlash surrounding her runway debut: “Honestly, there were just a lot of people mad because I’m not tall and skinny or wasn’t [considered] a real model. At the end of the day, I was there and [the critics] weren’t, so it was just really exciting.”

Unbothered by what the trolls have to say, Suni Lee is using this break to explore her potential beyond the gymnastics mat.