"I was kind of freaking out"- Suni Lee spills beans on viral moment of meeting Beyonce at the Glamour Women of the Year awards

Suni Lee recently opened up about her unforgettable encounter with Beyonce at the Glamour Women of the Year Awards. The Paris Olympics gold medalist gymnast Lee met the American singer and songwriter and was seen sharing a hug.

The gymnast was named along with the eight honourees for the 2024 Glamour magazine Women of the Year. After navigating through two kidney-related health issues, Lee made a surprising turnaround to the sport for the Olympic year.

The 21-year-old collected three medals at the French capital, including a gold and two bronze medals. To honor her remarkable contributions, she was celebrated alongside other distinguished women on the prestigious list, including Serena Williams, Pamela Anderson, Tina Knowles, Donna Kelce, Maggie Baird, Mandy Teefey, Hadley Duvall, and Kaitlyn Joshua.

In a charming moment at the gathering, she met Beyonce, and the two enjoyed a cheerful conversation filled with smiles and hugs. In a candid conversation with Caroline Fenton, Lee reflected on the meeting, calling it a surreal experience.

"I wanted to say hi to her but I... everybody was like, crowning her so I felt bad," Lee said. "So I like stayed behind but she like turned around and saw me and she like ran up to me and I was like, wait is this real life? Like there's no way she actually knew who I was."

She added:

"But yeah, we had a real conversation. I mean, she was saying that her and her kids watches is at the Olympics. So it was really cool and I mean, it's Queen B. So I was kind of freaking out.

"It’s definitely still at the back of my mind" - Suni Lee opens up about her participation at the 2028 LA Olympics

Suni Lee from the USA celebrates the bronze medal in the uneven bars at the 2024 Olympics in Paris, France. (Photo via Getty Images)

After steering through a severe kidney issue that forced her to end her collegiate career and after the intense physical and mental demands of the Olympics, Suni Lee spoke about the importance of giving herself time to recover.

In the same interview, she acknowledged the toll her body has taken due to the kidney issue, COVID-19, and various injuries.

"The Olympics just happened, so I am trying to give myself a little bit of grace and let my body and my mental health rest as much as possible because my body went through a lot, especially with the kidney disease, then getting COVID, having to deal with the injuries as well. So, right now, it’s not something I’m thinking about, but it’s definitely still at the back of my mind."

Suni Lee secured the gold medal in the team event and bronze medals in all-around and uneven bars at the 2024 Paris Games.