We chat to athlete and now retired gymnast, Peng-Peng Lee

GymnasticsGymnastSportSportswomenWomen in SportCareer

Aug 24

With the Tokyo 2020 Olympics only just having finished (Paralympics about to starting today) I feel like gymnastics came back onto our screen and re-won over our hearts. Even better then, that we had the opportunity to chat to ex-gymnast Peng-Peng. After a successful elite gymnastics career, Peng-Peng Lee is putting the beam behind her and we needed to find out more about her sporting past but also about her new ventures into acting and singing.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, Peng-Peng (like the rest of the world) took to TikTok to share her larger-than-life personality, which has now translated to a large social media following (3.1m on TikTok), a new role as a content creator and a host of opportunities for her multiple talents in this strange post-pandemic world.

Peng-Peng started her gymnastics career in 2004, aged eleven, competing in Elite Canada and it really just took off from there. She is most notably known for her UCLA comeback win at the 2018 NCAA National Championships where she won four regular-season and one postseason with perfect tens, and ended the regular season No. 1 on Balance Beam and No. 9 on Uneven Bars. She also won the NCAA Balance Beam title and contributed two perfect tens to help UCLA clinch their seventh national title.

Outside of the gymnastics world, Lee has made a name for herself as the co-creator and producer of her own YouTube show "The HONESTLEE Show," has served as host in several area events, and created content for notable brands including Chevrolet, that was hand-selected and entered into Cannes. Pretty impressive, right? It’s no surprise then that I wanted to sit down with Peng-Peng to get the lowdown on her love of gymnastics and her career as a woman in sport as well as her new forays into the worlds of acting and singing since retiring.

How did you first get into gymnastics, and how old were you?

I think every gymnast gets into gymnastics in a similar fashion. They're extremely hyper and have a ton of energy; I was definitely one of those kids. I started gymnastics when I was four but started competing seriously when I was 10.

What's your favourite gymnastics discipline and why?

I honestly love all of the events except vault - I have this thing where if I had an amazing day on that one event, it was my absolute favourite! But in competition, floor was definitely my favourite to compete in and train for.

What other women (not just in sport or gymnastics) do you admire?

Growing up, I really admired Justine Henin-Hardenne. She was a world-class tennis player, and I remember her being a bit shorter in height than the rest of the her peers. I was always super small growing up, but watching her play showed me that it doesn't matter how tall or big you are; you can still make your dreams a reality if you work hard.

You've spoken previously in an interview with ESPN about character building. How do you feel gymnastics and your experiences have helped to shape your character today?

Gymnastics has shaped me into the woman I am today more than I had realized. It has been my life ever since I can remember. Gymnastics has taught me how to be brave, get out of my comfort zone, go after my dreams, be a great leader, love everyone around me, and be grateful for everything I have been capable of doing. After I retired, I will say that I am still applying all of the life lessons I had learned in the real world. It's almost as if I've started again and am going through the ups and downs, but in a different way now.

You've branched out into acting and singing more recently. How is that going, and how did you make the transition from sports into these industries? And can you tell us more please about your The HONESTLEE Show on Youtube?

I've always had an interest in acting and singing. I dabbled in it a little when I was younger, such as acting classes, theatre camps, singing, guitar, and piano lessons, but I was never able to pursue any of it due to gymnastics. I'm so thankful to have had an amazing gymnastics career, but now I feel like it's my time to explore all of the things I've wanted to do but just wasn't able to when I was an athlete. The transition I knew would be extremely tough, because I was starting in a whole different industry that was completely new to me. Although I was completely ready to graduate and retire, I definitely had a hard time transitioning.

I still am going through it, but I am learning what it means to live life happy every day. My friend Janay Honest and I started the HONESTLEE show because after we had both graduated and retired from the sport, we went through a lot of emotional and mental ups and downs. At first, we thought it was just us having a difficult time transitioning out, but a lot of other athletes and students felt this way as well. We wanted to share the stories of other people who have established themselves in their industry to showcase that there are a lot of ups and downs to get to where they are today. We wanted honesty in their journey, and we hoped to inspire other people that everyone's journey is different.

What's your absolute favourite thing to do to unwind?

My absolute favourite thing to do to unwind is to get my closest friends over, make some food, play my Nintendo switch, or watch a movie or TV. I don't do well with "me" time or being by myself, so I definitely love being with my friends and family to light up my soul. It makes me so happy to be in great company.

What else have you got lined up in 2021?

There are a lot of personal goals I still want to accomplish, but nothing set in stone quite yet. I think one of my main goals before the year is over, is to start creating with other creators and artists! I want to continue to challenge myself and dive more into my musical side.

Follow Peng-Peng’s journey on her Instagram, TikTok and Youtube channel.

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