“We didn’t think I would be here. So getting through all of those events and…everything that we had to go through this week to get to where we are right now, it was just such a hard, incredible journey,” Suni reflected on her comeback.

Standing beside her every step of the way was her father. Unfortunately, on August 4, 2019, just before Suni left for the national championships, John suffered a severe accident.

He fell off a ladder while helping a friend trim a tree, resulting in a spinal cord injury that initially paralyzed him from the chest down. He also broke his right wrist and fractured several ribs.

Suni’s father recalled waking up in the hospital and being told he was unable to use his legs. Suni considered skipping regionals that year. However, her father convinced her to go. Despite his condition, John remained his daughter’s biggest supporter.

During the regionals, where Suni finished second to Simone Biles in the all-around competition, the doting father called his daughter from his hospital bed in the ICU.

In an emotional speech, John told his daughter that it did not matter where she finished, so long as she did her best. To him, she was already number one. In 2021, John was able to watch Suni compete at the U.S. gymnastics championships in person for the first time following his accident.

“It means a lot,” John said. His daughter immediately made the trip worthwhile, performing a gorgeous uneven bars routine. Following John’s tragic accident, Suni began sharing their FaceTime conversations, talking publicly about how her dad’s words calmed her pre-meet jitters.

John’s pep talks have since become something of a legend within elite gymnastics circles. “I try to be confident for her, but inside there is nerves (sic),” John, who revealed during an interview that he still had the balancing beam he built for Suni when she was younger, shared.