"2nd dad"- Suni Lee pens a heartfelt note on her coach Jess Graba's birthday

Suni Lee penned a heartfelt note for her coach Jess Graba on his birthday, calling him her 'second dad'. Lee last participated at the 2024 Paris Olympics, clinching the gold medal as part of the US women's gymnastics team.

Suni Lee has been training under Jess Graba since an extremely young age. Graba has witnessed Lee win the all-around medal at the Tokyo Olympics, the first for a gymnast of Asian descent and face the harrowing fate of the kidney issue that kept the Olympian away from gymnastics for months.

Lee persevered and returned to the mat in 2024, winning bronze medals in the all-around and uneven bars. Months later, she has taken to her Instagram story to wish the coach, who is more of a 'second dad' to her, a happy birthday.

"Happy birthday to my second dad & the best coach I could ask for."

Suni Lee wishes her coach Jess Graba on his birthday; Instagram - @sunisalee

In the following story, she posted a photo of her hugging Graba, seemingly after her Tokyo Olympic success.

"Thanks for always being the only one to believe me even when I don't," the caption read.

She also wished her Auburn University coach and Jess' twin brother Jeff Graba, captioning her story as:

"s/o to both of you for putting up with me."

Suni Lee wishes her coach Jess Graba on his birthday; Instagram - @sunisalee

Suni Lee's coach Jess Graba played a big role in bringing her back to the gym after she lost confidence

Suni Lee at the Olympic Games Paris 2024 - ( Source: Getty)

Suni Lee was diagnosed with a kidney issue early in 2023, which compelled her to end her Auburn University career prematurely and miss out on major gymnastics competitions. During her five-month-long hiatus, Lee was bedridden and depressed and had lost all her confidence to resume gymnastics again.

It was then that Jess Graba jumped to the rescue. He motivated her to escape the shell and go for another Olympic run.

"I think a lot of it for her, too, was … she didn’t have a purpose. When you don’t have a purpose, it’s really hard to get out of bed in the morning. And, she’s a people person, so hiding yourself away and avoiding people was not healthy for her. It took a little coaxing to get her to at least come out of her shell and come in and do something else with her day," recalled Graba in an interview with Olympics.com. (February 22, 2024)

Lee agreed and credited her long-time coach for helping her find purpose again.

"Jess has to snap me into reality all the time. He’s part of the reason why I got back out of my slump.”

Lee has amassed three World medals and even made waves at the 2022 NCAA Championships, winning gold in the balance beam and silver in the all-around.