One year out from the 2024 Olympics, several U.S. Olympic gymnasts have their sights on a return to the Games. The road to Paris continues with the Xfinity U.S. Gymnastics Championships from August 24-27 at the SAP Center in San Jose, California.
The 2023 Xfinity U.S. Gymnastics Championships will be filled with talented artistic gymnasts who aim to earn spots on the national team. These athletes hope to compete at the 2023 World Championships and 2024 Olympics. Elite gymnasts participated in the Core Hydration Classic earlier this month. The event served as a qualifier for the national championships.
Some Olympic veterans are hungry for another run at greatness on the world's stage. Simone Biles headlines USA Gymnastics' senior women's field for the Championships. Alongside the veterans, young gymnasts seek to make a name for themselves in the sport.
One Olympic veteran who will not be at Championships is Gabby Douglas, who is training to make her third Olympic team. Although Douglas is training, the 27-year-old is not back in competitions yet. She'll make a comeback to competition within the next year in order to have an opportunity to qualify for Paris 2024. Douglas was the 2012 Olympic all-around champion, and she won Olympic gold with the U.S. team in 2012 and 2016.
Fans eagerly await Douglas's return to elite competition for the first time since 2016. Douglas, Biles, and Aly Raisman are the only American women to make two Olympic Gymnastics teams since 2000. Now, Douglas and Biles seek to become the first American women since Dominique Dawes (1992, 1996, 2000) to make three Olympic Gymnastics teams.
Which Olympians will participate in the 2023 U.S. Gymnastics Championships? Here are the four women who will compete.
Olympians to watch in 2023 Gymnastics Championships: 4. Jade Carey
Jade Carey represented the United States as an individual athlete at the 2020 Olympic Games (which took place in 2021 due to COVID-19). At the Games, Carey competed on the floor exercise and vault, earning a place in the finals for each. Carey was favored to earn a medal in the vault final but a mistake on her first of two vaults led to an eighth-place finish. She persevered and earned a gold medal in the floor exercise final. Carey is a strong and confident gymnast who remains calm under pressure.
Carey competes for Oregon State in NCAA gymnastics, earning second on the uneven bars at the 2022 NCAA Championships and second on the balance beam in 2023. She was named the Pac-12 Gymnast of the Year two years in a row. Carey has scored seven perfect 10's in two years of NCAA gymnastics, with at least one perfect 10 on all four apparatus. A rare choice, the 23-year-old intends to continue participating in NCAA gymnastics and elite gymnastics simultaneously while pursuing the 2024 Olympics.
The individual athlete spots no longer exist for the 2024 Olympics. Athletes will need to prove their value as all-around gymnasts. In order to participate in the next Games, Carey seeks to earn a spot on the U.S. Women's Gymnastics team, which will consist of five gymnasts.
At the recent Core Hydration Classic, Carey performed only on the balance beam. Since this meet is considered a a tune-up prior to Championships, gymnasts often choose to focus on specific events rather than competing in the all-around. Carey and the rest of the gymnasts will up their game in the weeks between the Classic and the U.S. Championships.
Olympians to watch in 2023 Gymnastics Championships: 3. Jordan Chiles
Jordan Chiles was a member of the 2020 U.S. Gymnastics Olympics team that took home a silver medal. She was also on the 2022 World Championships team that won gold. At the World Championships, she also earned silver medals in the floor exercise and vault finals. Chiles is an NCAA gymnast with the UCLA Bruins. She's an NCAA champion on floor exercise and uneven bars, and she earned second in the NCAA all-around.
The 22-year-old recently performed at the Core Hydration Classic. Participating in NCAA gymnastics and elite gymnastics at the same time is incredibly challenging. After balancing both the past two years, Chiles has chosen to defer her studies at UCLA to focus on elite training with the hopes of making a second Olympics team.
Chiles' energy and positive vibes are infectious. Whenever she's not performing, she's engaged in the performances of her fellow athletes. She's a supportive teammate who loves to see fellow gymnasts shine, inspiring them to be confident and bold. In an interview clip posted by USA Gymnastics, Chiles said, "I love being the hype woman." Her spirit energizes not only her teammates but also the crowd.
At the Classic, Chiles focused on balance beam and uneven bars. Like Jade Carey, she chose not to compete in the all-around during this tune-up meet. She finished fourth on the uneven bars with a 13.9. Expect Chiles to bring her A game to the Championships on all four apparatus.
Olympians to watch in 2023 Gymnastics Championships: 2. Suni Lee
Suni Lee was a member of the 2020 silver medal Olympic team in 2021. She earned Olympic gold in the all-around and bronze on the uneven bars. She was an NCAA gymnast at Auburn University for two seasons. In 2022, Lee earned second in the all-around and first on the uneven bars in the NCAA Championship.
Lee decided to end her NCAA career early to focus on training for the next Olympic Games. The 20-year-old then missed part of her sophomore season due to kidney-related health issues, ultimately ending her collegiate career even earlier than planned. One symptom she faces is swollen hands. Lee took time off from training but is now back in the gym training for elite competition with the goal to make the 2024 Olympics. Her health challenges have continued to limit her training.
Despite her health challenges, Lee remains committed to her return to elite competition. In a recent Instagram post, Lee shared that her comeback is about more than gymnastics. "It was me proving to myself that I can overcome hard things," she stated, "and to hopefully inspire others to never let life's setbacks stop you from going after your dreams."
Her comeback proves what a fighter she is.
Lee only participated in two rotations during the Classic earlier this month, vault and balance beam. She earned second place on beam behind Simone Biles, posting a 14.5. As Lee's training continues to ramp up again, she hopes to return to form. Fans will have a better idea of where she's at when she performs at the Championships. Lee has had a tough year, but she remains committed to her pursuit of Paris 2024.
Olympians to watch in 2023 Gymnastics Championships: 1. Simone Biles
It's an understatement to say Simone Biles is the best gymnast in the world. Biles is the most decorated gymnast in World Championships history, and she's tied with Shannon Miller for most Olympic medals by an American artistic gymnast. The two-time Olympian (2016, 2020) is a seven-time Olympic medalist, including four gold, a silver, and two bronze. She holds 25 World Championship medals, including 19 gold, three silver, and three bronze. Biles holds a staggering seven national all-around titles.
Biles prioritized her mental health and physical safety by withdrawing from multiple events at the 2020 Olympic Games in 2021 while experiencing a mental block called the twisties. Her decision to step back and take care of herself was inspirational. Not wanting to end her gymnastics career on that note, Biles decided to make a comeback to elite competition.
With her return at the Core Hydration Classic, Biles proved she's in fighting form again as she looks ahead to the 2023 World Championships and the 2024 Olympics. She won the Classic by five points over Leanne Wong, which is rare in gymnastics, but it's what fans have grown accustomed to when Biles is at her best. She also won three out of four apparatus, placing third on the uneven bars. Biles posted a 15.4 on the vault, while the next highest score was 14.65.
Biles has emphasized the importance of continuing to manage her mental health as she navigates the challenges of elite gymnastics. At 26-years-old, her gymnastics looks as phenomenal as ever, which is also rare in women's gymnastics. The Biles era is not over.
Tune into the US Gymnastics Championships from August 24-27 to check in on the road to Paris 2024.