Editor’s note: Follow the latest U.S. Olympic gymnastics trials results.
MINNEAPOLIS – Simone Biles is, unsurprisingly, atop the leaderboard after the first night of competition at the 2024 U.S. Olympic gymnastics trials.
Biles, the reigning world champion and resident GOAT, was a lock for the Paris team even before Friday night, but her leading score of 58.900 took her one step closer to it becoming official. Only the top all-around finisher at trials is guaranteed a spot on the Olympic team.
Jordan Chiles (56.400) and Suni Lee (56.025) are sitting in second and third entering Sunday night’s trials finale, when the five-member team will be finalized.
Beyond the leaderboard, the story of Friday night was the injuries. Shilese Jones, the reigning world bronze medalist, was already managing a long-term shoulder injury before she injured her left knee while landing a vault in warmups. The injury prompted her to compete only in uneven bars, where she was stellar, and raises questions about her fitness and health for Paris.
Kayla DiCello also sustained an injury on vault less than an hour later, and her injury could prove to be more serious. She left the floor in a wheelchair and immediately scratched from the remainder of the night.
Here’s how the action unfolded on the first night:
Jordan Chiles finds inspiration in Beyonce, Megan Thee Stallion, GloRilla
MINNEAPOLIS − If Jordan Chiles makes her second Olympic team, Beyonce, Megan Thee Stallion and GloRilla deserve some of the credit.
Chiles said she was having a rough practice Friday morning and it put her in a funk. She was overthinking and stressing out. As she got ready for the meet, however, she was listening to music and it changed her attitude.
“Megan, Beyonce, GloRilla, every girl artist you can think of was popping up. I was like, `You know what? If these girls can slay like this, I can go out there and slay like them,'” Chiles said. “So what I came in to do today was just to have fun and vibe with everybody.”
The inspiration worked. Chiles posted the second-highest score after Simone Biles, a 56.4. She also had the third-highest score on floor exercise and fourth-best on both vault and uneven bars.
The five-woman Olympic team will be named Sunday, after the second night of competition.
“This meet is stressful enough,” Chiles said. “So I might as well put some good energy out there.” −Nancy Armour
Simone Biles earns standing ovation for Yurchenko double pike
MINNEAPOLIS − The audience at the Olympic gymnastics trials knows greatness when they see it.
Simone Biles got a standing ovation from fans for her Yurchenko double pike. It doesn’t matter how many times she does it, it’s always jaw-dropping to see it in person.
Biles gets great height on the vault, and the power that’s needed to do it practically ripples off her as she flips. She had to take a step to control the landing, but that’s just nitpicking. The judges clearly agreed, giving her a 15.975 that included a 9.75 for execution.
Biles was happy with the effort, grinning as she trotted off the podium to exchange high fives with coach Laurent Landi. −Nancy Armour
Who’s healthy enough to join Simone Biles on US team?
MINNEAPOLIS — Call it carnage, chaos or just plain bad damn luck, the four women who join Simone Biles at the Paris Olympics might wind up being whoever’s healthy enough to make the trip.
In a 30-minute span Friday night, Shilese Jones suffered a knee injury that limited her to one event and Kayla DiCello was knocked out with an ankle injury. Meanwhile Skye Blakely, a member of the U.S. teams that won gold at the last two world championships, was hobbling around the floor on crutches because of the ruptured Achilles that occurred during training two days earlier.
Here’s more on how the injuries could impact the team for Paris from columnist Nancy Armour.
Simone Biles dazzles with floor routine
MINNEAPOLIS − Simone Biles’ floor routine remains masterful.
In the highest-scoring routine of the night so far, Biles put together another brilliant performance on floor, starting with an especially massive Biles II − one of several skills named after her − on her first pass. A slight step out of bounds on a subsequent pass was one of the few small blemishes in a routine that generated a score of 14.850 and boosted her into first place in the all-around standings.
Vault − and, most likely, Biles’ famed Yurchenko double pike − is all that’s standing between Biles and a first-place finish on the first night of trials.
Meanwhile, on balance beam, Suni Lee showed why she is still one of the best in the world, turning in a 14.400 despite a significant wobble on her flight series. She spent one or perhaps two seconds on one foot before regaining her balance, drawing awe from NBC’s broadcasting crew and a loud cheer from the crowd at Target Center. −Tom Schad
Simone Biles uncharacteristically shaky on balance beam
MINNEAPOLIS − Remember this moment, as it will likely be fleeting: Simone Biles is in second place through two rotations.
Biles had an uncharacteristically shaky showing on balance beam, nearly falling on her mount and taking a small hop on her dismount. Her score of 13.650 is solid by most gymnasts’ standards, but not her own. She turned in scores of 14.800 on both of her balance beam routines at nationals about a month ago.
Biles’ disgust could hardly have been more obvious after her beam performance, when the jumbotron cameras captured her clearly mouthing an expletive as she left the podium. (The expletive was not audible on NBC’s broadcast.)
Leanne Wong is, for now, atop the all-around leaderboard − and, with the injuries to Shilese Jones and Kayla DiCello, she is strengthening her case for Paris. Jordan Chiles and Sunisa Lee were sitting third and fourth, respectively, at the midway point of Friday’s competition. −Tom Schad
Shilese Jones has a world-class uneven bars routine, her only event
MINNEAPOLIS − Shilese Jones made her only event of the night a good one.
Jones, who injured her left knee in pre-meet warmups and scratched her first event, vault, delivered a world-class performance on uneven bars. Her score of 14.675 is the highest of the meet so far, and also means she can officially be considered by the selection committee. There are no injury petitions onto the team for the Paris Olympics, so gymnasts have to compete at trials.
Jones took a hop forward on her dismount, and then a hop to the side. After saluting the judges she was limping visibly, walking slowly to the end of the podium before sitting down. She scratched her remaining two events, balance beam and floor exercise, shortly after. −Nancy Armour
Simone Biles opens with terrific uneven bars routine
MINNEAPOLIS − Leave it to Simone Biles to bring a little sanity to a chaotic night at the Olympic trials.
After Shilese Jones hurt her leg in warmups, Kayla DiCello had to withdraw with a right ankle injury and Suni Lee avoided a scare when her hand slipped on the vault table, Biles delivered a terrific uneven bars routine. Her 14.25 put her atop the standings until Leanne Wong appealed her score on vault.
Wong had two points deducted for not pushing off the vault table with both hands. But her appeal was successful, boosting her score to 14.45.
Jordan Chiles, a Tokyo Olympian and Biles’ WCC teammate, is third with a 14.35 on bars.
Those are the highlights. The rest of the night has been a hot mess. DiCello, the first competitor of the night, did a tucked Yurchenko vualt and immediately rolled to her back, tears filling her eyes as she shook her head no. She was crying as she was wheeled off the floor. Lee, who is DiCello’s best friend, had to go next on vault and her hand slipped on the table. She was at least able to land her vault on her feet, but she was clearly upset afterward.
And Jones, considered almost as much of a lock as Biles for the Paris team, scratched vault after injuring her leg in pre-meet warmups. Jones’ first event was vault, and she did a test run on the podium before heading backstage with coach Sarah Korngold. She can still compete in the other three events. −Nancy Armour
Shilese Jones scratches from vault; Kayla DiCello injury ends her night
MINNEAPOLIS − Shilese Jones walked off the floor during her warmup period on vault and has scratched from the event, per USA Gymnastics’ online scoring system.
Jones was speaking with her coach and members of the medical staff after sustaining a potential injury during warmups. She is due up next on uneven bars.
Meanwhile, USA Gymnastics announced that Kayla DiCello is out for the night after sustaining an injury of her own on the first vault of the night. −Tom Schad
Suni Lee salvages vault after scary takeoff
MINNEAPOLIS – A scary moment for Suni Lee, whose hand slipped on the vault table. The reigning Olympic champion still managed to land her Yurchenko double on her feet, taking a step to the side.
Kayla DiCello injures ankle on vault as gymnastics trials begin
MINNEAPOLIS – More worrisome news for the U.S. On the very first vault of the competition, Kayla DiCello sat down on her landing and appeared to sustain a right ankle injury. She was helped off the mat by members of the medical staff.
DiCello finished third in the all-around competition at nationals and is one of several gymnasts in the mix for a spot on the Paris Olympic team. The 20-year-old was an alternate on the Tokyo Olympic team.
When does Simone Biles compete at U.S. gymnastics Olympic trials?
Simone Biles is likely to compete her first rotation (uneven bars) shortly after 7:45 p.m. ET on Friday, then move in the order of events that is in place for Olympic competition − to balance beam, then floor exercise, then vault. On Sunday night, Biles will start on vault, with her first attempt around 8:20 p.m. ET. She will then go to uneven bars and balance beam before concluding on floor.
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U.S. gymnastics Olympic trials how to watch
Tonight’s coverage and this weekend − including the decisive Saturday and Sunday sessions − will be on NBC. The network will also show every minute of all four nights on its streaming service, Peacock, where it will offer both a general stream and apparatus-specific streams for viewers who are hoping to monitor a specific athlete.
U.S. gymnastics Olympic trials TV schedule
- Friday, 7:30 p.m. to 10 p.m. ET: Women’s competition, Day 1 (7:30-8 on Peacock, 8-10 on Peacock and NBC)
- Saturday, 3:15 p.m. to 6 p.m. ET: Men’s competition, Day 2 (NBC, Peacock)
- Sunday, 8:10 p.m. to 11 p.m. ET: Women’s competition, Day 2 (NBC, Peacock)
Shilese Jones will compete despite injury scare
MINNEAPOLIS – Shilese Jones is good to go.
Jones, who is considered almost as much of a lock for the Paris team as Simone Biles, had to be helped off the floor after appearing to injure her knee during warmups. But USA Gymnastics announced “Shilese Jones will compete.” When Jones’ name was called, she ran out onto the podium, not looking as if anything is amiss.
Jones is already nursing a shoulder injury that kept her out of the national championships
