Suni Lee Admits She Disguises Herself At College After Olympics Gold Win: ‘I Don’t Love The Spotlight’

The gold medal winner admitted to being shy in college, even after her time competing in the Olympics for the USA Women's Gymnastics team.

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September 1, 2022 12:30PM EDT
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Sunisa Lee, of United States, reacts as she poses for a picture after winning the gold medal in the artistic gymnastics women's all-around final at the 2020 Summer Olympics, in Tokyo, Japan. The 19-year-old Auburn freshman has helped lead Auburn to the NCAA gymnastics championships April 14-16 in Fort Worth, Texas. Lee has also parlayed her all-around gold into a run on Dancing with the Stars since the new name, image and likeness rules made college an easy decision Auburn Suni Lee Gymnastics, Tokyo, Japan - 29 Jul 2021
A parade is held to celebrate the success and homecoming of Sunisa Lee, the first Hmong American to compete in the Olympics. At the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games, Lee, an 18-year-old gymnast who hails from St. Paul, earned the gold medal for women's artistic individual all-around, silver for women's artistic team all-around, and bronze for women's uneven bars. Olympian Sunisa Lee celebration parade, Saint Paul, Minnesota, USA - 08 Aug 2021
Auburn's Sunisa Lee performs her floor routine during NCAA Gymnastics action between the Auburn Tigers and the LSU Tigers at the Pete Maravich Assembly Center in Baton Rouge, LA NCAA Gymnastics Auburn vs LSU, Baton Rouge, USA - 05 Feb 2022
Image Credit: Melissa J Perenson/CSM/Shutterstock

Suni Lee may have taken home the gold at the Tokyo Olympics for the all-around women’s gymnastics competition, but at school, she’s much more of a homebody. While speaking about her partnership with Invisalign, Suni, 19, opened up about wearing a “disguise” at her college, Auburn University in Alabama, after the Olympics in an EXCLUSIVE interview with HollywoodLife. 

While her Olympic appearance made Suni a household name, she admitted that she does try to keep a low profile at school, even if she’s working on putting herself out there more. “If you know me, you know I’m a pretty shy person. I don’t love the spotlight, so it’s been a balance between pushing myself out of my comfort zone to take advantage of the opportunities I have been afforded since the Olympics and wanting to be the homebody I am. I’m going to out myself right now, but 90 percent of the time, I like to dress in a disguise at Auburn!” she told HL with a laugh.

Suni opened up about being ‘shy’ at school after the Olympics. (Melissa J Perenson/CSM/Shutterstock)

Even though she likes to wear disguises, Suni did say that she’s “excited” to head back to school after a busy summer and shared what she’s looking forward to the most. “I love the fact that I can also be a regular (well, as close to regular as possible) college kid!” she explained. “Competing with my teammates every Friday night is the biggest adrenaline rush and cheering them on is so special. I’m so fortunate that I can participate in college athletics, unlike so many Olympic athletes that came before me. I want to make the most of this opportunity that I have been given.”

Besides being excited for the upcoming school year, Suni also revealed how happy she is with Invisalign and why she’s passionate about her partnership with the clear aligner. “Invisalign makes me feel confident. It makes me unafraid to smile. And when you smile, you’re happy, right? Anything that makes me smile, I want to do more of these days. That’s a beauty trend I can get behind,” she said.

Aside from her gold medal win, Suni also took home silver and bronze awards during the Tokyo Olympics in Summer 2021. Her team won the silver, and she won bronze in the uneven bars competition. After her Olympic wins, she also competed on Season 30 of Dancing With The Stars and finished in fifth place.