Sunisa Lee is an Olympic champion. In 2021, Lee took home the gold medal in the all-around competition at the Tokyo Olympics. Lee is the first Asian-American woman to win the gold in the all-around at the Olympics, making her a part of history. Matt James is a former contestant on the Bachelor and a businessman. In fact, James was the first-ever black contestant on The Bachelor, making him a part of history, as well.
Lee and James met while competing on ABC's Dancing With the Stars in the fall of 2021. They obviously became great friends during the season, judging by the way James has supported Suni during her gymnastics career in the NCAA. The two even made TikTok videos together while they were on the show. So how did Lee turn James into a gymnastics fan? Let's find out.
7 Matt James Played Football In The NCAA
James played football for Wake Forest University in North Carolina from 2011-2014, so he knows what it's like to be a student-athlete in college, and can relate to Lee on that level. He suffered some injuries in college, so didn't get to play a whole lot, but during his senior year, he "caught a career-best 40 passes for 401 yards" according to godeacs.com.
6 Suni Lee Competes In College Gymnastics
While hoping to continue her elite career, Lee has been attending Auburn University and competing for their gymnastics team in the NCAA. This left Lee super busy during her run on Dancing With the Stars, as she was simultaneously training gymnastics at a gym in Van Nuys, California while attending to her online classes at her university. The poor girl probably didn't have much downtime. Needless to say, she hasn't really stopped going since the Olympics last summer. As for her elite career, according to ESPN.com, Lee told her coach at Auburn, Jeff Graba, that "I don't think I've reached my full potential yet. I have so much more in me."
5 Matt James Attended A Gymnastics Meet At Auburn University
Early in 2022, James attended a home gymnastics meet at Auburn University and showed up wearing a t-shirt that said "Auburn Dad" on it. So freaking cute! In an interview with ESPN during the meet, James said that "Suni brought me here." He went on to explain that "we made a deal when we were doing Dancing With the Stars that I was going to come to a meet. I brought Rachael down, my girlfriend; she used to be a gymnast as well, so it's just awesome to see all these women compete." It's great that James was able to follow through on his deal with Lee to attend a gymnastics meet. It was the first meet he had ever attended and he seemed to have had a blast.
4 Matt James Attended The SEC Gymnastics Championships
James didn't just attend a regular-season gymnastics meet to cheer on Lee. Oh, no. He attended post-season, as well. He traveled all the way to Alabama again for the SEC Championships in Birmingham. Lee ended up receiving a perfect score on the uneven bars, while James and his girlfriend cheered her on.
3 It Was A Bit Of A Trek For Matt James And Rachael Kirkconnell
James and Rachael Kirkconnell made a nearly 8-hour journey to the championships, having to deal with a canceled flight and an Uber from Queens to New Jersey. Turns out, Lee didn't know James and his girlfriend would be attending the championships, and it was a total surprise for her when they showed up. So sweet! Clearly, the long trek was worth it.
2 Matt James Attended The NCAA Gymnastics Championships
James once again wore his "Auburn Dad" t-shirt at the NCAA Gymnastics Championships in Ft. Worth, Texas. Lee's gymnastics team took home fourth place in the finals at the NCAA championships. Lee won an individual championship on the balance beam, scoring a 9.9625, making her the second-ever Auburn team member to win a first-place national championship award. Lee took home second in the individual all-around competition, behind Florida's Trinity Thomas, who has also competed in elite gymnastics and was a member of the national team for several years.
1 Matt James Admires What The Gymnasts Do
James has said on his Instagram stories that he loves watching the gymnasts do flips on the balance beam and that he is amazed by the way the girls are able to twist their bodies and do all sorts of flips and tricks, as that is something he isn't able to do. He told ESPN that he had "so much respect for these women." He also said that the energy in the arena was crazy and that "it's been so much fun being out here." It's great that James' girlfriend, Kirkconnell, used to be a gymnast, so hopefully, she has been able to explain some of the sport to him. Needless to say, James is officially a gymnastics fan now, thanks to Lee, and his support for her throughout the season, especially with his "Auburn Dad" shirt, has been so fun to see.
