Paris 2024 was supposed to be a memorable chapter in Suni Lee’s Olympic career. Instead, the balance beam final ended with a painful fall that left the Tokyo all-around champion searching for a way forward. Two years later, a new revelation from her longtime coach Jess Graba shows that Lee’s response to that disappointment came much sooner than anyone realized.

Lee had already secured three medals in Paris, including team gold and bronze medals in the all-around and uneven bars, before entering the beam final with one last chance to add an individual gold, which would soon end badly.

Her routine unraveled when her foot slipped, sending her off the beam and leaving her in sixth place with 13.100 points.

At that time, Lee turned to Graba and said, “Geez, now I gotta come back.”

Graba, however, was not convinced. Having coached Lee since she was 12 at Midwest Gymnastics in Minnesota, he knew how emotional an Olympic mistake could feel. He believed her words were coming from the frustration of the moment.

“In my head, I’m like, ‘Yep, OK, whatever,'” he recalled. “‘Yeah, you’ll feel different tomorrow, whatever.'”

The coach had seen Lee experience the highs and lows of elite gymnastics for years. He knew that an athlete can make emotional decisions immediately after a difficult competition, only to reconsider once the pressure disappears. So Graba did not start planning another comeback with her. 

After Paris, Lee’s relationship with Graba and his wife and co-coach Alison Lim continued away from the gym. The coaches visited Lee in New York, but they deliberately avoided talking about gymnastics. That was partly because Graba wanted Lee to decide on her own.

“When Suni decides, then I’ll take it seriously,” he said.

There was a genuine possibility that Lee might never return to elite gymnastics. After two Olympic Games, the physical and mental demands of the sport could have led her toward a different path.

Her battle with kidney disease had also forced her to reconsider what was possible for her career, giving Graba another reason to understand that her future might lie outside gymnastics.

That meant Graba was prepared to accept whichever direction Lee chose. Nearly two years after Paris, Lee made her decision. On July 14, 2026, she announced that she was returning to gymnastics, with the Los Angeles 2028 Olympics now part of the long-term picture.

Once she made that decision, Graba was ready to take her seriously. Lee returned to training at Midwest Gymnastics in Minnesota. But the road back to elite gymnastics will not be easy.

Suni Lee begins the long road back to LA28

Suni Lee’s comeback is still in its early stages, and Graba has made it clear that rebuilding her to Olympic level will take time. He described the process as “two steps forward, four steps back.”

However, Lee began her first official comeback training session on July 20 at Midwest Gymnastics, returning to the same Minnesota gym where she trained with Graba and Alison Lim for years. 

Just eight days into her return, Lee shared footage of herself training an acrobatic beam series that she had performed at the Paris Olympics, an aerial cartwheel followed by two layout step-outs. Her comeback is also taking place against the backdrop of the health challenges that affected her previous Olympic preparation.

Graba has said Lee competed in Paris at only around 65 to 70 percent of what she was capable of while dealing with her kidney condition.

A full Olympic cycle could now give her the chance to see what she can accomplish with more time to prepare. As Lee gets closer to competition, Graba is already scrutinizing every detail of their preparation.

“I find myself looking for everything, like, ‘Did I do everything properly?’” he said. “You can’t afford a mistake now. So now the stress begins.” 

Still, Graba is not complaining about the workload. After nearly two years without Lee in the gym, he is simply glad to have her back.

“It feels better with her in the gym,” he said.

For Lee, though, training is only the beginning. She has yet to return to official competition, and the road to LA28 will require her to rebuild her routines, regain consistency and eventually prove herself through the U.S. selection process.