Simone Biles is set to make her third Olympic team this weekend at the U.S. Olympic Team Trials in Minneapolis. The event is more of a formality for the GOAT, but who are the other gymnasts eyeing the Paris 2024 Games?
With the men’s team set to be named on Saturday and the women’s team on Sunday, here’s everything you need to know about the Olympic Trials and Team USA’s rising gymnastics stars.
How is the Olympic gymnastics team selected?
The top all-around finalist after two days of competition at the trials will automatically receive a spot on the five-member women’s Olympic team. The other four women competing in Paris will be determined by a selection committee, which will use results from trials and previous competitions to complete the team.
Stream every moment and every medal of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games on Peacock, starting with the Opening Ceremony on July 26 at 12 p.m. ET.
Four Olympic alternates will also be named in Minneapolis, two of whom will travel to Paris to train with the team.
Building the U.S. team primarily revolves around the final team competition, where the team gold medal is awarded. Three gymnasts compete on each apparatus and all three scores count.
Selecting gymnasts who can maximize Team USA’s score in the three-on-three format is often compared to putting together a puzzle. Choosing the team isn’t always as simple as selecting the five highest-ranked all-around gymnasts at tryouts.
If the top five in the all-around all score well on vault and floor, for example, but weak on the uneven bars and balance beam, taking the top five gymnasts to Paris would leave the U.S. team vulnerable in those events. To maximize the team’s score, the selection committee could potentially select an athlete who may have finished lower in the all-around, but is the nation’s leading scorer on bars and beam.
On the men’s side, the five-member team competes on six apparatus. The automatic spot is more difficult to achieve, requiring a gymnast to finish first in the all-around and top three in at least three events. No male gymnast has accomplished this feat at the U.S. Championships in Fort Worth.
Who is in the running for the Olympic team?
There are 20 men and 16 women who will compete for an Olympic place this weekend. Leading contenders on the men’s side include national all-around champion Brody Malone, world all-around bronze medalist Fred Richard, Khoi Young, Yul Moldauer, Asher Hong, Donnell Whittenburg and Shane Wiskus.
The Americans are seeking their first Olympic medal since 2008, after winning silver at last year’s world championships.
While there are 15 female gymnasts participating in the trials, only about 11 are currently in discussions to make the Paris Olympic team.
Skye Blakely, 19, from Texas, was one of the favorites for the Paris team in those trials, but suffered a season-ending Achilles injury while training for the podium on Wednesday . She was a member of the gold medal-winning teams at the 2022 and 2023 world championships and recently finished second in the all-around behind Biles at the U.S. championships.
The pionneers
Simone Biles
Barring serious injury or other unforeseen calamities, Biles goes to Paris. She is the reigning world all-around champion and a 37-time world and Olympic medalist. Her scoring potential 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 exercise. For Biles, the trials are more about mental preparation, so she can simulate the pressure of an Olympic crowd before Paris.
Shilese Jones
A few weeks ago, ahead of the U.S. Championships, many would have said that the six-time world medalist was a sure thing to make the Paris team. However, Jones’ status is a bit uncertain heading into the trials after withdrawing from the championships with a shoulder injury. At the Classic in May, she established herself as the country’s strongest all-around gymnast behind Biles, finishing second all-around and winning the uneven bars. If she comes close to that level in Minneapolis, Jones has a strong shot at making her first Olympic team after falling short in 2021.
Sunny Lee
Lee, the reigning Olympic all-around champion, is not as strong on all four apparatus as she was in Tokyo after battling kidney disease over the past year. However, her Paris prospects remain promising due to her medal potential on the balance beam and uneven bars.
Across both days of the U.S. Championships, Lee performed spectacular routines on the balance beam, cementing her potential as an asset that the U.S. would certainly use on this event in the team final. Lee hopes to increase her overall score to prove she can be counted on in all four events in a pinch, but her bars and beam might be enough for the selection committee to select her.
Major contenders
Jordan Chiles
Chiles fulfilled her Olympic dreams in 2021 by winning a silver medal in the team event at the Tokyo Games. Like some other gymnasts in this category, Chiles is a very well-rounded all-around competitor, but he is missing one standout event. She’s unlikely to get an individual medal at the Olympics if she made the team, but she can prove at the trials that she can be counted on to cover any apparatus in the team competition.
If Biles, Jones, Blakely and Lee make the team, Chiles could secure fifth place on the team with a good score on floor exercises and a good all-around result over the two days of competition.
Jade Carey
Reigning Olympic floor champion Carey, in fine form, would complement this team in many ways. She is obviously strong on floor exercises and also has the potential for a medal on vault. Carey is a master at peaking at just the right time and showed off an Amanar vault in training. She is absolutely still looking for her second Olympic team.
Kayla DiCello
After being named an alternate for the 2021 Tokyo Olympics, DiCello is back for another chance to realize 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. It appears that decision paid off for DiCello, whose bronze medal at the Championships had “Olympian” written all over it. She struggles with consistency at times, but if she nails 8/8 routines this weekend, this could be DiCello’s year.
Leanne Wong
After a disappointing performance at the championships, Wong appeared on track to repeat as an Olympic alternate. During a practice session in Minneapolis on Wednesday, she threw a Cheng safe, potentially intercepting that narrative. Wong’s increase in difficulty could pay off if she succeeds, but last-minute upgrades aren’t always worth the risk.
Her gymnastics are stunning to watch and she hopes to regain her consistency earlier in the quad, having won a gold medal in the team event at the last two world championships and a silver medal in the individual all-around at the championships. of the world 2021.
Potential dark horses
Joscelyn Roberson
Roberson trains at the World Champions Center alongside Biles. She had a breakout 2023 and made the world team last fall, despite being injured just before the team finals. She’s a “power gymnast” whose best events are floor and vault, but she’s currently outperformed by gymnasts with similar strengths.
Only Lincoln
Like Jones, Lincoln is coming back from an injury and had to apply to compete at the trials. She is here primarily for one event, floor exercise, which happens to be the weakest in the US at the moment. It is very possible that Lincoln could finish in the top three in this event at the trials, but unfortunately, she is not the strongest gymnast in the all-around.
The Lincoln floor would maximize the U.S. team’s scoring potential in the team final, but the selection committee could decide it’s too risky to bring in a gymnast who can’t get usable scores on bars and on the balance beam in case another team member falls.
Hezly Rivera
Before the Championships, very few people had this freshman senior on their Olympic team. After a surprise sixth place there, she finds herself in the conversation for the Parisian team. She lacks international experience and her best events are the same as Lee’s, so she will likely be relegated to another position at this point. However, if top contenders struggle with consistency, Rivera could be a wild card pick for the team.
Tiana Sumanasekera
Queen of the balance beam and another training companion of the GOAT, Sumanasekera was one of the few gymnasts who nailed all of her routines at the championships. Joining the Paris team may not be an easy feat for her, but she could land another spot. The future is bright for the 16-year-old, who would have to wait until Los Angeles 2028 to try his luck at the Olympics on home soil.