MINNEAPOLIS — Simone Biles needs to complete four routines to qualify for her third Olympic squad.
After the first day of competition at the Olympic trials, she had a 2.5-point lead over her Olympic and club teammate, Jordan Chiles. Suni Lee, the current Olympic all-around champion, completed the top three.
The selection committee for the women’s gymnastics team that will compete in Paris will have to start over after three of the top contenders sustained injuries before to Friday’s competition. The team will be announced on Sunday.
Medical personnel removed Kayla DiCello and Shilese Jones after they appeared to have been injured on the vault. DiCello tore her Achilles tendon during the meet, and USA Gymnastics stated that she will miss the remainder of the trials.
Although Jones, the current bronze medallist in the world all-around competition, was able to participate on the uneven bars, she hobbled off the podium and missed the remainder of the meet.
Her event score of 14.675 was the highest bars score of the evening.
It’s unclear how Jones and DiCello’s Olympic aspirations are progressing. The 19-year-old Texas native Skye Blakely tore his Achilles during podium training on Wednesday, ruining his season.
Athletes are not allowed to petition to be named to the Olympic team in case of injury according to the selection processes.
Biles had a strong start to the evening on the bars, but she struggled a little bit on the balancing beam. Biles was not winning, which was an odd sight on the leaderboard at the midway point.
Leanne Wong, who unveiled the Cheng, a new vault enhancement, was three tenths ahead of her. Wong challenged her score after receiving a 2-point deduction for taking off with one hand, and she ultimately scored a 14.450.
Biles returned to the first-place spot he was accustomed with thanks to a solid floor performance. When she nailed her eponymous vault, a Yurchenko double pike, on the fourth spin, the arena’s audience instantly stood up.
Her score of 15.975 was more than one point higher than the highest of the evening.
The skill is the most astoundingly challenging routine in women’s gymnastics performed today. To demonstrate her abilities to the selection committee for the Olympic vault final, where two vaults are needed, she performed the Cheng, a second vault.
The current Olympic all-around champion, Suni Lee, performed an advanced bars routine with much difficulty and looked ready for Paris. She received a 14.400 for her Nabieva to Bhardwaj performance. It is a routine that the selection committee will not want to abandon.
Start with the Opening Ceremony on July 26 at 12 p.m. ET and watch every second of the 2024 Paris Olympics on Peacock.
Following two days of competition, the top all-around finisher at the trials will automatically secure a position on the five-person women’s Olympic squad. A selection committee will choose the four other ladies who will compete in Paris based on the outcomes of past tournaments and trial results.
In Minneapolis, four Olympic substitutes will also be announced, two of whom will fly to Paris to train with the squad.
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