"From hospital beds to three Olympic medals" - Suni Lee leaves her doctor in tears after emotional speech at ESPYs 2025

Suni Lee delivered an emotional speech after winning the 2025 EPSY award that left her doctor in tears. Lee was accompanied by Dr. Marcia Faustin as she won the Best Comeback Athlete on Wednesday, July 16, at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood, California.

The American gymnast was diagnosed with an incurable kidney disease in 2023, which forced her to end her college career prematurely. The disease kept her away from her beloved sport for a brief period. However, with her great resilience and her doctor's support, Lee made a comeback to the sport and enjoyed a successful run at the Paris Olympics.

As the Olympic medalist attended the award ceremony, she brought Dr. Faustin, who has been treating her condition, as her date, which was also the latter's first red carpet event ever. During her speech, Lee expressed her gratitude towards her doctor for supporting her through her toughest time, saying:

"To Dr. Marcia Faustin, she's actually here in the crowd with me today. Thank you for guiding me through the toughest moments, reading every scan and report by my side and Ali (Alison Lim) and Jess (Jess Graba), my coaches who never gave up, even when things looked impossible." "I'm so proud we never said no for an answer. From hospital beds to three Olympic medals in Paris, this is proof that no setback can stop you if you don't stop fighting. I just have to say, never, ever underestimate a girl who is determined to prove her worth to herself," she added.

Lee's kind words brought her doctor to tears.

"Excited to see how it all comes out" - Suni Lee opens up about the 2028 LA Olympics

Suni Lee at Fanatics Fest NYC 2025 in New York City. (Photo by Getty Images)

Suni Lee collected one gold and two bronze medals at the 2024 Paris Olympics. Following the recent achievement, when asked about her participation at the 2028 Games, she did not provide a clear answer and instead expressed her excitement in seeing how the team grows.

“I’m just really excited to see how they’re all going to work up to it and keep building from that, because I feel like we’ve had such a really strong team," she said (via people.com). "And even just seeing like the upcoming of all women's sports has been really amazing. So I'm just really excited to see how it all comes out.”

Suni Lee attended the award ceremony in a glittering Oscar de La Renta gown that featured a long slit and all-over sequins. She paired the stunning dress with matching metallic heels.

Edited by Samya Majumdar