"I have been dealing with a non-gymnastics health related issue involving my kidneys," the 20-year-old American said.

"For my safety, the medical team did not clear me to train and compete over the last few weeks."

Last November, Lee announced she would end her college career to concentrate on achieving Olympic selection.

"As an athlete that has competed at that highest level on the world's biggest stage, I have been fortunate enough to experience the once-in-a-lifetime feeling, and the indescribable emotion when a gold medal is draped around your neck, but I don't want it to be just once in a lifetime," she said.

"It's been challenging to end my Auburn career early, but I am thankful for all the love and support, I will not stop pursuing my dreams, in fact this experience has sharpened my vision for the future."

Her posts prompted an immediate response from fans and fellow students wishing her well.

Last month, she hinted at health problems when announcing she would be unable to compete in Auburn's final home meeting of the season against Penn State University.

She also missed the 2023 National Collegiate Athletics Association meeting, an event where she won gold on the balance beam in 2022.

At the age of 16, Lee was a gold medallist in the team event at the 2019 International Gymnastics Federation Artistic World Championships in Stuttgart.

In the individual events, she won silver on the floor behind her illustrious compatriot Simone Biles and also took bronze in the uneven bars.

Lee then became the fifth successive American to win the women's Olympic all-around title at Tokyo 2020, a run which stretches back to the Athens 2004 Games.

She also won team silver and bronze again on the uneven bars.

After the Olympics, Lee took part in the celebrity television competition Dancing With the Stars but was pepper sprayed in what was believed to be a racially motivated attack outside the studios.