Current:Home > FinanceWho will make the US gymnastics team for 2024 Paris Olympics? Where Suni Lee, others stand -Global Finance Compass
Who will make the US gymnastics team for 2024 Paris Olympics? Where Suni Lee, others stand
View
Date:2025-04-16 10:54:05
FORT WORTH, Texas — Simone Biles is a gimme for the Paris Olympics. Because, duh. Did you watch her at the U.S. championships? Or any other competition since she returned last year?
The question is who joins the four-time gold medalist on the squad for Paris. And that answer is now both clearer in some ways and murkier in others than it was a few days ago.
Suni Lee and Skye Blakely improved their prospects with their performances at nationals last weekend. But now there are concerns about the health of Shilese Jones, who was considered almost as much of a lock as Biles until she withdrew from nationals to protect her injured shoulder.
“There's been a little bit of progress,” Jones told NBC on Sunday night. “I woke up and I was like, 'It's feeling a little bit better than this whole week.' It's been a little bit stiff, but some progression today."
Subscribe to USA TODAY's newsletter:Chasing Gold: Your guide to the 2024 Paris Olympics
The Olympic trials for gymastics are June 27-30, so it’s not time to panic just yet. In the meantime, here’s a look at the contenders:
Stock rising
Suni Lee
Lee competed the all-around for the first time since last spring, when a kidney ailment forced her to cut her final season at Auburn short. If not for a fluke error on vault on the second night — she stubbed her toe on the runway and had to cut her Yurchenko double to a 1½ — Lee would have finished third.
Lee was fabulous on balance beam, with her 14.9 on Sunday the highest score on the event of the entire meet. She missed being third on uneven bars by a mere 0.050 points despite her routine not having its full difficulty.
“Beam and bars are the one thing I need to — not prove myself on, but that’s where I’m going to be the most useful to the team. So I’m glad I could (do) both those (well),” Lee said. “I just have to go back into the gym and work on my consistency, get my bar routine with full difficulty and keep staying consistent on beam.”
Skye Blakely
She put together two solid and consistent nights that included the first 15 of her career, for her upgraded Cheng vault. She was second to Biles in the all-around both nights, and she was top three on vault, bars and beam.
Though she was a member of the last two world championship teams, Blakely played a supporting role. Her performance at nationals showed her — and she hopes the selection committee — that she’s ready to be a main contributor in Paris.
“Coming off this meet, I know what I’m capable of now, so that will put even more confidence in myself,” she said. “I see myself in training, so I know what I can do. But to be able to finally put it out there on the floor and show everybody and myself, it really means a lot to me.”
Jordan Chiles
The Tokyo Olympian is making steady improvement, but it was her silver medal on uneven bars that really stood out. Remember that the format for team finals is three gymnasts on each event and all three scores count, and Chiles would give the U.S. women insurance on bars and vault.
Hezly Rivera
The U.S. junior champion last year made quite an impression in her first nationals as a senior, finishing fourth on balance beam and fifth on uneven bars.
Work in Progress
Jade Carey
She has the big vaults, but she needs to score better on floor exercise, where she’s the reigning Olympic champion. That's not a complete surprise, given the quick turnaround between Carey's NCAA and elite seasons.
Kayla DiCello
High-scoring potential is one thing, but consistency is another. After a fall on uneven bars and a rough performance on balance beam, DiCello needs to show at trials that she can deliver under pressure.
TBD
Shilese Jones
If she's healthy, she’s on the team. These next three weeks will be big.
Kaliya Lincoln
Lincoln withdrew from nationals midway through the first night with an injury but petitioned into Olympic trials. Could add a big score on floor exercise.
Follow USA TODAY Sports columnist Nancy Armour on social media @nrarmour.
veryGood! (6815)
Related
- Retirement planning: 3 crucial moves everyone should make before 2025
- The video game platform Roblox says it's back online after outage
- Megan Fox Debuts Fiery New Look in Risqué Appearance at Oscars 2023 After-Party
- Xbox mini fridges started as a meme. Now they're real, and all sold out
- Highlights from Trump’s interview with Time magazine
- We’re Stuck on Austin Butler and Kaia Gerber’s Oscars 2023 After-Party Date Night
- Facebook to delete users' facial-recognition data after privacy complaints
- Ordering food on an app is easy. Delivering it could mean injury and theft
- Hackers hit Rhode Island benefits system in major cyberattack. Personal data could be released soon
- States are investigating how Instagram recruits and affects children
Ranking
- In ‘Nickel Boys,’ striving for a new way to see
- Russian court rejects appeal of Evan Gershkovich, Wall Street Journal reporter held on spying charges
- All the Ways Everything Everywhere All at Once Made Oscars History
- Harry Shum Jr. Explains Why There Hasn't Been a Crazy Rich Asians Sequel Yet
- What to know about Tuesday’s US House primaries to replace Matt Gaetz and Mike Waltz
- This Alaskan town is finally getting high-speed internet, thanks to the pandemic
- Bear kills Italian jogger, reportedly same animal that attacked father and son in 2020
- Everything Everywhere Actor Ke Huy Quan's Oscars Speech Will Have You Crying Happy Tears
Recommendation
Why Sean "Diddy" Combs Is Being Given a Laptop in Jail Amid Witness Intimidation Fears
Rep. Paul Gosar shared an anime video of himself killing AOC. This was her response
Brendan Fraser, Michelle Yeoh and More Celebrate at Oscars 2023 After-Parties
Dozens dead as heavy fighting continues for second day in Sudan
'Survivor' 47 finale, part one recap: 2 players were sent home. Who's left in the game?
Vanessa Hudgens Flashes Engagement Ring at Oscars 2023, Keeping Fiancé Cole Tucker Close to Heart
You Better Believe Cher and Boyfriend Alexander Edwards Are Detailing Their Date Nights
They got hacked with NSO spyware. Now Israel wants Palestinian activists' funding cut