Kwiecinski: Suni Lee, and how to appreciate greatness in sports

Like the rest of the 6,000+, I decided to head to Hearnes Center on Sunday. I also have to admit it was for selfish reasons.

Missouri was hosting No. 5 Auburn. We all knew that. It's on the schedule and MU offered a gentle nudge at Saturday's sold-out men's basketball game that those in attendance should help us break the gymnastics record.

Record smashed. Missouri upset Auburn. The decibel level reflected the scores MU had on the board.

I wasn't entirely there for Missouri, though. I needed to see Suni Lee. I know plenty more of that 6,000+ were there to see her, too.

I needed to appreciate greatness in its many facets and forms, and Lee was exactly that. She showed how to appreciate greatness.

How many days do you get to wake up and think "I get to watch one of the greatest in the world at something do that specific thing?" Not many times. There's a chill in my spine when I simplify it to that sentence. I had it before when I covered the Olympics in 2018 and I had it again Sunday.

That's why I simply watched. I watched each of her warm-ups and her routines to see every small detail. Every move operates at a different level and just looks different. It's hard to describe.

Athletes like Lee carry themselves differently. Not in a demeanor or attitude; no Olympian or Team USA athlete I've ever covered embodied the caricature of a diva NFL wide receiver or disgruntled NBA star.

In fact, these world-class athletes are pretty relatable. After her final event at the 2018 Winter Games, U.S. Speedskater Maame Biney told reporters "Now I get to eat whatever I want!" The difference, of course, is that unrivaled pure athletic ability.

Case in point, Jocelyn Moore landed the third perfect 10 in Missouri history with an electrifying vault. On the other side of the floor, Lee's 30 seconds of an uneven bars routine earned her a 9.950. It looked like she was riding a bike.

Lee's greatness preceded her. That's why when she fell on her beam routine, there was a split-second wondering if anything was wrong.

That happens, even to the reigning All-Around Olympic Gold Medalist who's competing in a grueling SEC schedule with road trips across the country while keeping her eye on the next mountaintop that resides in Paris in 2024.

There wasn't anything wrong, of course. Lee was just fine. She got back on the beam and finished her routine with a dismount that included pristine rotations and dynamic twists that reminded you that, yeah, she really is that good.

It's also a reminder that perfection isn't attainable in any sport. Not even Olympians are perfect, especially on a night where Lee competed in just two of the four events and Auburn coach Jeff Graba said he was specifically resting some competitors that needed it.

A tired Auburn team still finished the evening with a 196.550. If that score was Auburn's average, it would have been good enough to rank No. 28 among all college gymnastics teams. That's the effect that Lee can have on a program, especially when she's on the sidelines coaching her teammates and lifting them with her natural ability.

"She's a selfless individual," Graba said. "People might not know this, but she's one of the best teammates you can have."

What is different is the level of support Lee had. Most athletes don’t draw hundreds of fans to the lower bowl of the Hearnes Center screaming their name.

Missouri fans were there to support the Tigers and support Sunisa Lee. A group of younger fans in the row closest to the Hearnes' floor called out to Lee. She waved.

"She waved at me," all three of the younger fans said in awe to each other, trying to claim the Olympic wave. Lee is a persona that's greater than the sport of gymnastics. After the meet, she walked a line of fans, signed autographs, took selfies and gave at least a second to nearly everyone she could while exiting the floor.

She didn't have to do these things. Lee will be the face of Olympic gymnastics and most likely Team USA in 2024. She transcended sports for a night in Columbia.

It is greatness personified when one athlete is bigger than the entirety of the sport they compete in, and how can you not appreciate that?

Actually being in that presence is another thing. MU men's basketball coach Dennis Gates was asked Monday about photos of him sitting with former NBA legend and, depending on who you ask, the Greatest of All Time Michael Jordan.

Gates talked about his proximity to the United Center when he was at Whitney Young High School. He watched the Bulls rise to another three-peat and had an impression placed on him for a lifetime.

Michael Jordan. Sunisa Lee. These are the athletes that remain forever because they are so great they leave an indelible impression.

"He's definitely the G.O.A.T. of my life," Gates said of Jordan. "Everybody would say something different. I won't change that. We have a Kobe era and a LeBron era. But, it wouldn't change that for me."

Jordan wasn't perfect. He lost games just as Lee fell during her beam routine Sunday. But their greatest can't be matched against perfection, because that's impossible to attain.

Sunday was a reminder to appreciate that kind of greatness, in whatever way you can. An athlete Suni Lee may never come back to Columbia.

Go see them if you do. Maybe you'll be able to describe that greatness better than me.

This article originally appeared on Columbia Daily Tribune: Kwiecinski: Suni Lee, and how to appreciate greatness in sports