Suni Lee's 'intention is to come back' to Auburn gymnastics as sophomore, Jeff Graba says

HUNTSVILLE — Suni Lee plans to return to Auburn for her sophomore season of NCAA gymnastics, Auburn coach Jeff Graba said Thursday night.

The 2021 all-around Olympic gold medalist Lee won the individual NCAA championship on balance beam in April, ending a remarkable freshman season in which she transitioned from elite level gymnastics to NCAA – described by Graba as practically two different sports.

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That unprecedented adjustment is at the heart of any deliberation about Lee’s future: If she wants to compete in the 2024 Olympics, does continuing college gymnastics act as a disadvantage? Does she need to go all-in on elite training? There’s no past example for whether it’s possible to handle both NCAA competition and Olympic training simultaneously, so Auburn and Lee are "building the airplane as we fly," as Graba put it.

“NCAA gymnastics has been good for her in a lot of ways,” Graba said before an Auburn alumni event. “But she’s going to have to balance it out. She’s going to have to make decisions in the future, but right now the decision is: ‘I think I can still do both.’ So I think that’s where we are.”

Lee helped lead Auburn to a fourth-place national finish as a team. The Tigers were one of two SEC teams competing on the final day of the NCAA Championships – after being picked No. 14 preseason.

Graba and Lee had a conversation Thursday morning about her future.

"It really centered around — first off, she doesn’t have to make a decision," Graba said. "That’s 2024. She has to make a decision whether she trains for 2024 or not. And that’s been her decision. She wants to train. She doesn’t want to get caught off guard. And she doesn’t want to commit herself, because she’s pretty dang busy right now. So she’s enrolled in classes here. Her intention is to come back.”

Graba said Lee is continuing to work on her Lopez vault, which she has thrown in NCAA competition. Its start value is two tenths fewer than a double-twisting Yurchenko, the vault she threw at the 2021 Olympics in Tokyo.

Lee is setting a standard for Auburn’s future elite gymnasts as Graba’s program grows. Entering his 13th season at Auburn, he has signed his second five-star: Olivia Greaves, a national team alternate at the 2021 World Championships who has trained with Simone Biles and Jordan Chiles. Graba is uncertain what the timeline is for Greaves because, like Lee, she's navigating uncharted territory.

"I don't know about Olivia right now. All our USA gymnasts have World Championships this fall, so they all have to make a business decision. And we're going to support her. We're doing the same thing with her that we've done and will continue to do with Suni," Graba said. "She has to make some decisions about the short-term future and the long-term future. We're really excited. If she shows up in December, she shows up in December; we're ready to go."

Auburn senior Derrian Gobourne is also returning for an extra year of eligibility, she announced Friday morning on social media. Gobourne became the program's first national champion in 2019, winning the individual title on vault. But she's famous for her floor routines that close out Auburn home meets; at the 2022 NCAA Championships, she finished second on floor.

When asked about Gobourne's decision, Graba said he'll "probably not sleep for three days" if she returns. Now the coach has his two superstars back.

This article originally appeared on Montgomery Advertiser: Suni Lee's 'intention is to come back' to Auburn gymnastics as sophomore