Suni Lee Is Living Her New York City Moment

In Bustle’s The Pregame, we ask women athletes about their pregame rituals. How do they get in the zone? Do they have any superstitions before a big meet? Here, two-time Olympic gold medalist Suni Lee shares her morning ritual, the leotard color she’ll never wear, and the one thing she needs in her gym bag.

Before a gymnastics meet, Suni Lee can often be spotted off to the side with her headphones firmly in place. Sometimes she’s talking to herself as she visualizes her routine. Other times, she’s spraying down the bars with her lucky pink water bottle. Like many athletes, she has a rigid approach to getting in the zone.

“My coaches will try to talk to me and I won't even hear them,” the 22-year-old tells Bustle. “I feel really bad afterwards, but they understand. They know it's part of my ritual now.” While it’s easy to think that Olympic athletes — aka the best of the best — don’t get nervous, Lee says her butterflies kick in the night before a big competition. “It's good that [I’m] nervous, though,” she says. “It means [I] care.”

Lee brought home three medals from the 2020 Tokyo Olympics and scored three more at the 2024 Paris Olympics. Since then, she’s made the move from her hometown of St. Paul, Minnesota to New York City, where she’s currently enjoying the city’s food scene, the sense of privacy that comes with getting lost in the crowd, and the proximity to the fashion world, which she hopes to break into.

Lee says she isn’t sure if she’ll go for a third Olympics in Los Angeles in 2028. Right now, she’s focused on spending time with friends and family and working with her favorite brands, which includes her recent feature in Sports Illustrated Swimsuit, on stands now. She’s pictured alongside fellow it-girl athletes Livvy Dunne and Jordan Chiles, her two-time Olympic teammate.

“I've always wanted to be a Sports Illustrated swim model, but it actually took a lot of convincing for me to say yes,” she says. “I was scared to be seen in a swimsuit, but I'm so happy I did it because my goal is to inspire others and young women who maybe feel like me.”

Even though she had to overcome her nerves yet again, Lee says it was ultimately fun to shoot on the beaches of Boca Raton, Florida. “I felt really comfortable in my own skin — like I could finally breathe.”

Here, Lee shares her morning routine, beauty must-haves, and the gel that keeps her hair in place even as she flips through the air.

How do you get in the right headspace before a big meet?

I always wake up feeling anxious, so I’ll start journaling my feelings. For me, that’s easier than talking to somebody. About two hours before the meet, I’ll listen to music, dance around, and do my hair and makeup. When I know I look good, it’s easier for me to go out there and do my best.

What do you like to eat and drink before competing?

I usually have two energy drinks and then two coffees, like an iced vanilla latte with almond milk. Then I’ll eat something light that fuels me, like fruit or salad, and then a bar or smoothie. We’re doing flips, so I don’t want anything too heavy.

Do you have any lucky charms or pre-meet superstitions?

I'm very weird about the order I do things in, and I always need that spray bottle for the bars. When I was in college, I didn’t have it one time and it messed with my brain.

I also have this thing with leotard colors. I just broke my “red leo curse.” I couldn’t wear red ones for the longest time, which is tough when you’re competing for Team USA. Now I’m scared to wear white. I think it’s because when you’re nervous, you try to attach your nerves to something unrelated.

How do you keep your hair out of the way?

I get my hair braided, then I’ll use got2b glued to hold everything down.

What’s your go-to skin care and makeup for competing?

I’ll put on the Rhode Glazing Milk and Tatcha Dewy Skin, and then EOS vanilla cashmere lotion on my body. I love a sweet scent.

My lip combo went viral at the Olympics last year. It was so funny — you can see me on the sidelines putting my lip on. Everyone else is in the zone, and I’m just so unserious. Right now, my combo is the Makeup For Ever liner in Limitless Brown and the NARS Afterglow gloss in Turkish Delight.

What do you wear when traveling to a meet?

I’ll wear compression socks on the plane and a good matching set. You can never go wrong with those. I also wear Hokas because they're so thick, they feel like clouds. With my makeup and a slick-back, I feel so put together.

What do you keep in your gym bag?

I always have my hand grips, my spray bottle, lip balm, a spoolie for my lashes, and some extra hairspray.

How do your coaches hype you up before you compete?

Before I go out onto the podium, they’ll pull me aside and say, “You got this. You've been doing this your whole life.” It reminds me to be excited and to channel that energy.

This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.