Peng-Peng Lee of UCLA was awarded the 2018 Honda award for gymnastics.
The long-time and successful member of the Canadian national faced a lot of setbacks. A serious back injury in 2008 took her out of the sport for two years, then a torn ACL in 2012 pulled her from Olympic competition. She then underwent surgery and looked forward to a fresh start by starting her college career at UCLA. Unfortunately, she re-injured her knee, resulting in her having to red shirt her freshman year and come back her sophomore year.
Another surgery put Peng-Peng on the injured reserves list in 2013.
Fortunately, she had many shining moments as a gymnast. She made her college debut and shined. In 2018, she earned five perfect 10s on beam and two more on bars.
We also watched her claim the National Championship title for UCLA during the Super Six. After a 10 on bars already in the bag, Peng-Peng also nailed her beam routine and scored a 10.00.
The Honda Sports award is perfect for Peng-Peng. It has been presented annually by the CWSA for the past 42 years to the top women athletes in 12 NCAA- sanctioned sports and signifies “the best of the best in collegiate athletics”. Lee becomes a finalist for the Collegiate Woman Athlete of the Year and the 2018 Honda Cup which will be presented on a live telecast on CBS Sports Network on Monday, June 25, 2018, in downtown Los Angeles.
Personally, I think Peng-Peng deserves this award. She is an athlete that has been through a lot and has worked hard to overcome all her injuries. This award could not be a better fit for her. Do you guys think Peng-Peng deserved the award as well?
