Simone Biles is set to make her third Olympic team at the U.S. Olympic Team Trials in Minneapolis this weekend. The event is a formality for the GOAT, but who are the other gymnasts with an eye on the 2024 Paris Games?
With the men’s team to be named on Saturday and the women’s team to be named on Sunday, here’s everything to know about the Olympic trials and Team USA’s rising gymnastics stars.
How is the Olympic gymnastics team selected?
The top all-around finisher after two days of competition at the trials will receive an automatic spot on the five-member women’s Olympic team. The other four women competing in Paris will be selected by a selection committee, which will use the results of the trials and previous competitions to complete the team.
Stream every moment and every medal of the 2024 Paris Olympics on Peacock, starting with the Opening Ceremony on July 26 at 12pm ET.
Four Olympic alternates will also be named in Minneapolis, two of whom will travel to Paris to train with the team.
Assembling the American team primarily revolves around the team finals competition, where the team is awarded a gold medal. Three gymnasts compete on each apparatus and all three scores count.
Selecting gymnasts who can maximize Team USA’s score in the three-up-three-count format is often compared to assembling a puzzle. Selecting a team is not always as simple as choosing the top five ranked gymnasts in the all-around at the trials.
For example, if the top five finishers in the all-around are high scorers on vault and floor, but weak on uneven bars and beam, moving the top five gymnasts to Paris would make Team USA weaker in those events. To maximize team scores, the selection committee could potentially select an athlete who finished lower in the all-around, but was the nation’s highest scorer on bars and beam.
On the men’s side, five-member teams compete on six apparatus. Automatic berths are difficult to achieve, requiring gymnasts to finish first in the all-around and in the top three in at least three events. No male gymnast accomplished this feat at the U.S. Championships in Fort Worth.
Who is in contention for the Olympic team?
This weekend, 20 men and 16 women will compete for a spot at the Olympics. Top contenders in the men’s division include national all-around champion Brody Malone, world all-around bronze medalist Fred Richard, Khoi Young, Yul Moldauer, Asher Hong, Donnell Whittenberg and Shane Wiskus.
The U.S. men are seeking their first Olympic medal since 2008 after winning silver at last year’s world championships.
While 15 female gymnasts are competing at the trials, only about 11 are currently in talks to join the Paris Olympic team.
Texas native Sky Blakely, 19, was the frontrunner for the Paris team coming into these tests, but suffered a season-ending Achilles injury during podium training on Wednesday. She was a member of the gold medal-winning teams at the 2022 and 2023 World Championships and recently finished second to Biles in the all-around at the US Championships.
Forefront
simone biles
Barring serious injury or other unexpected disasters, Biles is going to Paris. She is the current world all-around champion and a 37-time world and Olympic medalist. Her scoring ability is the highest of any gymnast in the world and she is the favorite to win Olympic gold medals in the all-around, vault and floor events. For Biles, the tests are more about mental preparation, so she can simulate the pressure of the Olympic crowd before Paris.
shillis jones
Before the U.S. Championships a few weeks ago, many would have called the six-time world medalist a perfect fit for the Paris team. However, there is a bit of a question mark over Jones’ status at the trials after withdrawing from the championship due to a shoulder injury. At the Classic in May, she solidified herself as the nation’s strongest all-around gymnast after Biles, placing second in the all-around and winning the uneven bars. If she performs anywhere close to that level in Minneapolis, Jones is very likely to make her first Olympic team after falling short in 2021.
listened to
Lee, the reigning Olympic all-around champion, is not as strong in all four apparatus as she was in Tokyo last year after battling kidney disease. However, her Paris prospects are still promising due to her medal potential on balance beam and uneven bars.
On both days of the US Championships, Lee performed brilliantly on beam, solidifying her potential as an asset that the USA will certainly use in the team finals on that event. Lee will hope to raise her all-around scores to prove she can be relied upon in all four events in a pinch, but her bars and beam may be enough for the selection committee to pick her.
major contenders
Jordan Chiles
The Chileans achieved their Olympic dreams in 2021 when they won a silver medal in the team event at the Tokyo Games. Like some other gymnasts in this category, Chiles is a very balanced all-around competitor, but she lacks standout events. She’s unlikely to win an individual medal at the Olympics if she makes the team, but she could prove at the trials that she can be trusted to cover any apparatus in the team competition.
If Biles, Jones, Blakely and Lee make the team, Biles could secure fifth place on the team with strong scores on floor exercise and high finishes in the all-around over the two days of competition.
Jade Carey
Carey, the reigning Olympic champion, is in top form and will complement this team in many ways. She is clearly strong on floor exercise and also has chances for a vault medal. Carey is adept at peaking at the right time and unveiled the Amanar Vault in training. He is still looking for his second Olympic team.
Kayla Disello
After being named an alternate for the Tokyo Olympics in 2021, DiCello is back for another attempt at her Olympic dream. She took a year off from competing in NCAA gymnastics for the University of Florida to return to her elite club and train for Paris. That decision appears to have benefited DiCello, whose bronze medal display at the championships had “Olympian” written all over it. She struggles with consistency at times, but if she can get an 8/8 routine this weekend, this could be DiCello’s year.
Leanne Wong
After a disappointing performance at the championships, Wong seemed on track to repeat as an Olympic alternate. At a training session in Minneapolis on Wednesday, she debuted the Cheng Vault, potentially disrupting that narrative. Her increase in difficulty may pay off if Wong competes successfully, but a last-minute upgrade isn’t always worth the risk.
Her gymnastics is amazing to watch and she will hope to return to her consistency in the quad, having won a gold medal in the team event at the last two World Championships and an individual all-around silver medal at the 2021 World Championships.
potential dark horses
Jocelyn Roberson
Roberson trains with Biles at the World Champions Center. She had a great 2023 and defeated the World Team last time out, although she was injured just before the team final. She is a “power gymnast” whose best events are floor and vault, but she is currently being outclassed by gymnasts of similar strength.
Kalia Lincoln
Like Jones, Lincoln is also returning from injury and had to enter a petition to compete at the trials. She’s here primarily for one program, floor exercise, which also happens to be the weakest program in the United States at the moment. It’s very possible that Lincoln would finish in the top 3 at trials, but unfortunately he is not the strongest all-around gymnast.
Lincoln’s floor will maximize Team USA’s scoring potential in the team finals, but the selection committee may decide it is too risky to bring a gymnast who cannot score usefully on bars and beam in case another team member loses. Can make.
Hazley Rivera
Before the championships, there were very few first-year seniors on the Olympic team. After a surprising sixth-place finish there, he has found himself in talks for the Paris team. He lacks international experience and his best programs are the same as Lee’s, so he will be pushed to the alternate position at this point. However, if the top contenders struggle with consistency, Rivera could be a wild card selection for the team.
Tiana Sumanasekera
Sumanasekera, another training partner of beam queen and GOAT, was one of a handful of gymnasts to hit all of her routines at the championships. Making a place in the Paris team may be a tall order for her, but she may be able to secure an alternate spot. The future is bright for the 16-year-old, who is expected to wait until LA 2028 to compete in her home Olympics.
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