"Such a queen" - Coco Gauff sends love to Suni Lee after gymnast recalls being told she'd 'never be able to compete' ahead of Paris Olympics glory

Coco Gauff has showered her love on gymnast Suni Lee following her third-place finish in the all-around gymnastics finals on Thursday, August 1, at the Paris Olympics. Together with Simone Biles, Lee made history for Team USA at the prestigious Games. It also marked the 21-year-old's fifth medal at the Olympics across two outings.

Lee and Biles are now the first American Olympic gymnasts to have won multiple medals in the all-around category. Biles additionally laid claim to being the first American gymnast with two all-around gold medals, having previously finished top at the 2016 Rio Olympics. Lee also clinched gold in the women's artistic team all-around category in Tokyo.

After her resounding success, the Saint Paul, Minnesota native, took to Instagram to pen a heartfelt message of gratitude. Lee started by writing about how she overcame incessant criticism to become a successful Olympian before going on to thank Team USA's fans for cheering her on.

"From being told that I would never be able to do gymnastics again to winning my 5th Olympic medal!! this medal goes deeper than gymnastics. I can’t even begin to express how much my health has taken away from me & the strength it has taught me, so to be here is the greatest achievement of all. Grateful for the opportunity to be able to represent team USA at my second olympic games! thank you for all the support," Lee wrote.

Gauff, who became USA's youngest flag bearer at this year's Games, later commented on the post. The reigning US Open champion voiced her love for Lee's message, writing.

"LOVE IT AND YOU, SUCH A QUEEN."

Coco Gauff's comment on Sunisa Lee's Instagram post (Source: Instagram/Sunisa Lee)

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Coco Gauff's Paris Olympics 2024 outing was one to forget

Coco Gauff looking dejected at the Paris Olympics (Source: Getty)

Coco Gauff proudly carried out the responsibility of being Team USA's woman flag bearer, but the on-court displays that followed from the World No. 2 left a lot to be desired.

In singles, Croatia's Donna Vekic defeated her in straight sets in the third round, a match marred by Gauff turning tearful during a heated exchange with the chair umpire.

Gauff participated in the women's doubles event as well, with her and Jessica Pegula's pair being widely regarded as one of the favorite teams for the title in the buildup to the Games. However, they were stunned by the Czech duo of Karolina Muchova and Linda Noskova in the second round.

The reigning US Open champion's best finish came in the mixed doubles event alongside Taylor Fritz, with the duo losing in the quarterfinals to Canada's Gabriela Dabrowski and Felix Auger-Aliassime.