‘Blacked Out a Couple Times’: Suni Lee Opens Up on Competing at Olympics
Suni Lee United States - Women s Uneven Bars Paris 2024 Olympic Games, Olympische Spiele, Olympia, OS Day Nine, Paris, France - 04 Aug 2024 PUBLICATIONxINxGERxSUIxAUTxHUNxGRExMLTxCYPxROUxBULxUAExKSAxONLY Copyright: xManuelxReino/Shutterstockx 14616666fm
Suni Lee United States - Women s Uneven Bars Paris 2024 Olympic Games, Olympische Spiele, Olympia, OS Day Nine, Paris, France - 04 Aug 2024 PUBLICATIONxINxGERxSUIxAUTxHUNxGRExMLTxCYPxROUxBULxUAExKSAxONLY Copyright: xManuelxReino/Shutterstockx 14616666fm
Reaching the podiums and receiving medals in front of a massive crowd, Suni Lee’s Olympic moments have been as idyllic as they can get. But there was a lesser-known part to it.
Lee won all-around gold, team silver and bronze on the uneven bars at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, followed by gymnastics icon Simone Biles’ withdrawal due to mental health reasons. But her own mental state hadn't been very stable either.
“I remember when I was competing, I definitely have blacked out a couple of times and not remembered what had happened,” the Olympian revealed to a June 24, 2026, interview with FOX 9 Minneapolis-St. Paul. “Because it’s just so stressful in the moment. So hard to feel anything else.”
Aug 4, 2024; Paris, France; Sunisa Lee of the United States celebrates with coach Jess Graba after winning bronze on the uneven bars on the second day of gymnastics event finals during the Paris 2024 Olympic Summer Games at Bercy Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports
Aug 4, 2024; Paris, France; Sunisa Lee of the United States celebrates with coach Jess Graba after winning bronze on the uneven bars on the second day of gymnastics event finals during the Paris 2024 Olympic Summer Games at Bercy Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports
In gymnastics, a single lapse in focus can cost a medal. And Lee saw Biles withdraw from several individual events after experiencing twisties. A condition where a gymnast’s body and mind fall out of sync. But she didn’t know something more critical awaited her.
If mental pressure wasn’t enough, at the 2024 Paris Games, Lee competed while managing two incurable kidney diseases, diagnosed in 2023. However, it didn’t stop her from winning three more Olympic medals.
The then 21-year-old Lee managed to overcome the adversities. Now, at 23, she has advice for younger gymnasts.
Suni Lee’s Message to the Next Generation
Before the FOX 9 Minneapolis-St. Paul's interview, Lee initially visited Minnesota for the Special Olympics USA Games. As she spent time with the athletes, recalling her own journey became easier, as well as becoming a guiding voice.
“I’ve just been telling them to breathe, do their exercises, and to trust in their confidence,” Lee admitted in the same interview. “It’s not easy to go out there and compete in front of so many people with such high stress… I feel like it’s something I needed when I was competing.”
Surely her experience could’ve been different had she received the treatment she now can give. But going forward, Lee managed to become an idol to so many, both on and off the mats.
Can you recall a similar incident that happened to another gymnast? Let us know in the comments.
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Written by
Deblina Roy