byscore f lashed: 13.700, good enough for first. Andrade, the
only remaining competitor within reach of gold, stepped
out of bounds twice on her f loor routine. Lee burst into
tears—happy ones, finally.
She finished the Olympics with a bronze on the bars,
a result she still finds disappointing. But Lee does not
have much time to dwell on what could have gone dif-
ferently. While she was in L.A., she studied and took her
Auburn classes online from 8 a.m. to noon every day, then
practiced for Dancing With the Stars. New state laws and
NCAA rules mean she can profit from her name, image
and likeness; she and her management team are still
working out which companies to endorse. She is also an
18-year-old who is not entirely sure how to clean the lint
trap in the dryer. She has a lot to figure out.
“My whole life, I did gymnastics and I wanted to go
to the Olympics,” she says. “And now I’m like, What do
I want now?”
Fame, as it turns out, has been complicated. “It’s very
overwhelming,” Lee says. “I’m still trying to figure out how
to manage all of it.” After missing out on a normal child-
hood, she had hoped to be a regular college student. But
the opportunities that are suddenly available to her will not
be there in a year. So she has said yes to nearly everything.
She moved to L.A. to dance on national TV, lived alone and
tried to adjust. Did the people she was meeting want to
be her friend or want a piece of her? She is still not sure.
Now she’s back at Auburn, settling into dorm life. Graba
says Lee will decide on competing in the 2024 Games in
the coming months. First, she’ll begin practice with her
college team. Lee will eat dinner in the dining hall and
attend Tigers games and stay up all night studying. She will
be a regular college student—with three Olympic medals.
She finally got them back, and nobody can take them.
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As Biles ( below, right) turned into their
top cheerleader, Lee and the rest of
Team USA rallied around their captain.