In my final column, I will make predictions for the U.S. women's gymnastics Olympic team that will be held later this summer.
This year, the U.S. team has five team spots and no individual spots. The overall athlete with the highest combined score during the two-day Olympic Trials automatically qualifies for his team at the Olympics. Her remaining four players will be selected by a player selection committee.
Simone Biles is locked into the team's No. 1 spot unless something catastrophic happens.series jones Additionally, as the United States' second-best individual all-around gymnast, she has a very good chance of taking second place on the team. Question marks are her three remaining spots. The United States needs a third gymnast who is strong in the individual all-around. The team also needs gymnasts in the traditional bars/beam slot and floor/vault spots.
Lian Wong and Kayla DiCello are strong candidates for the AA No. 3 spot. His two athletes, both gymnasts at the University of Florida, are great, but not the best in every event. Wong was an alternate at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. Her time in the NCAA made her even more consistent. She was also on the 2023 World Championship team. Her biggest drawback is that she doesn't finish in the top three in any event. But as we saw in Tokyo, having a strong backup is essential to a team's success. DiCello was also an alternate in 2020 and was also named to the 2023 World Championship team. She made a strong case a few months ago at the 2024 Winter Cup, winning the individual all-around. Unfortunately, it's either DiCello or Wong. It makes no sense to employ both. Of the two, I would choose Wong. Because of her demonstrated stability and ability to compete under pressure. But I wouldn't be surprised to see DiCello in there.
Next is the position of the uneven parallel bars and beams. My top two candidates are Sunitha Lee and Gabby Douglas. Lee is the reigning Olympic all-around champion, and she has performed some of the most difficult bar work in the world. The biggest problem is her health. Lee has been suffering from problems with her kidneys since her last Olympics, which has greatly affected her training. Also, she has not yet shown that she is ready for a match. She struggled in the Winter Cup and was not given international duty this year. She may be too much of a risk to bring to the team. Similarly, Gabby Douglas was the 2012 Olympic individual all-around champion, making her two Olympic appearances. She also performs some very difficult routines in her training. But although she resumed training a year and a half ago, Douglas has yet to play a match this year (she had to withdraw from the Winter Cup after testing positive for COVID-19). There was no). This means she has not competed in the past eight years. Douglas is on the roster for this Saturday's American Classic, and his performance there could determine his chances of making the team.She hinted that this weekend she plans to take on the extremely difficult Chen Vault. (You'll actually be competing for the all-around spot, not the bars/beam spot).
Finally, the floor/safe spot. At the moment, my frontrunner for this spot (again, depending on future performance) is Jade Carey. Carey is probably the best vaulter in the United States after Biles, as he competes in both the Chen and Amanor vaults. She is the reigning Olympic event champion and the 2022 world vault champion, adding to her stability in the NCAA. The downside is that she has struggled with an injury to her shoulder over the past year, and it is unclear whether she will be able to return to her previous difficulties. Failing that, her girlfriend spot could easily go to Jocelyn Roberson or Jordan Chiles.
Predictions (in order of confidence):
- Simone Biles
- series jones
- Leanne Wong
- Sunitha Lee
- Jade Carey
My dream team:
- Simone Biles
- series jones
- Gabby Douglas
- Sunitha Lee
- Leanne Wong
