After coronavirus scare, Olympic hopeful Lee recovers her optimism

At first, Sunisa Lee, a favorite to make the U.S. women’s gymnastics team for the Tokyo Olympics, didn’t think much of the tickle in her throat.

But on that Sunday evening this summer, two days after the 2020 Summer Games were supposed to have begun before they were postponed a year, the tickle turned into soreness that made her throat feel like it was on fire. When she woke up with a fever and chills, she panicked.

Contracting the coronavirus and unknowingly infecting her father, John, had been her worst fear throughout the pandemic.

He is at high risk for COVID-19, the disease caused by the virus, because he was paralyzed from the chest down after falling from a ladder in 2019, and his breathing is compromised.

To be safe, Lee, 17, shut herself in her second-floor bedroom while her family — including her three younger siblings — relocated their bedrooms to the first floor of their St. Paul, Minnesota, home and slept on air mattresses or the couch.

Though her coronavirus and strep tests came back negative, Lee spent nearly two weeks in isolation, not wanting to take any chances.

Now Lee, a high school senior this year, is finally back at her gym, Midwest Gymnastics, for what seems like her hundredth restart in 2020.

“It really sucked to be out of the gym for so long,” she said. “I can’t afford to miss more time because I already missed so much with my ankle injury. Getting sick pushed me back another two weeks. I’m so nervous that I’m falling behind.”

When Lee finally got back to the gym, she said, her coach, Jess Graba, told her to “take it slow and not rush into anything.”

“Now I basically have all of my skills back, except on vault,” she said. I haven’t done vault yet because my ankle still hurts a little bit, but I go to physical therapy every week to strengthen it.”

She said she learned a valuable lesson.

“Now I think it’s more beneficial, mentally and physically, to rest sometimes because your body and your mind can heal and you can work on yourself as a person. And when you finally go back, your body feels brand new.”

‘Now I think it’s more beneficial, mentally and physically, to rest sometimes because your body and your mind can heal and you can work on yourself as a person. And when you finally go back, your body feels brand-new.’

Sunisa Lee, U.S. gymnast, Olympic hopeful

JENN ACKERMAN / NEW YORK TIMES Sunisa Lee, a favorite to make the U.S. women’s gymnastics team for the Tokyo Olympics, was afraid she was infected with the coronavirus but has emerged from isolation with renewed resilience and a brand-new outlook on training.