Courtesy of @nbcolympics
Meet the 2024 USA Gymnastics team heading to Paris and looking for gold… Though you should know most of the team already!
For the first time since 1952, the women’s team has four returning Olympians. The GOAT Simone Biles secured her third Olympic team spot, while the reigning all-around champion Suni Lee, Jade Carey, and Jordan Chiles are all on their way to their second Olympics. Lee, Carey, and Chiles will get to experience the electrifying Olympic atmosphere this time around.
The returning Olympians are joined by a new face: Hezly Rivera. Unlike previous tradition where most Olympic gymnasts were teenagers, Rivera, at just 16, stands out as the only teenager on the team and the sole American gymnast under 21! Rivera joins the likes of 2012 Olympian Kyla Ross and 2016 Olympian Laurie Hernandez as a gymnast making the Olympic team in her first year competing as a senior.
Rivera finished in first place on the balance beam in the Olympic Trials, an event the USA will want her to compete at the Olympics. She will also provide depth on the uneven bars, as well as the floor exercise if needed.
In her senior debut this year, Rivera placed third in the all-around at the Winter Cup. She also has international experience, as she competed for the USA at the City of Jesolo, and won silver with the team and on the floor exercise at the 2023 Junior World Championships in Turkey.
Rivera’s career is just getting started!
Joining Rivera in making her first Olympic team is Jade Carey. Carey is the reigning Olympic gold medalist in the floor exercise but competed as an individual in the 2020 Olympics. Not only will Carey get to experience the crowd at the Olympics this time, but her scores will contribute to the team. While training for the Olympics, Carey continued to compete for Oregon State, which gave her consistent competition and created a new level of confidence seen in her bars and beam routines. Carey will look to defend her floor exercise title at the Olympics, as well as get revenge and a medal on the vault.
Jordan Chiles is another Olympian who spent time competing in college after the 2020 Olympics. The energy Chiles brought to competitions for UCLA (where she won the 2023 NCAA gold on bars and floor, and silver in the all-around) has translated to the elite stage, and she is a joy to watch both on the floor exercise and in her interactions with her teammates. Chiles is as big of a competitor as she is a cheerleader for her teammates, and it has been a delight to see a culture shift in gymnastics. Chiles went from being unsure of her gymnastics career before 2020 to competing in her second Olympics, and I couldn’t be happier for her! Chiles can bring a strong all-around performance and has a must-see floor routine.
I could cry writing about Suni Lee. She is such an incredible and inspiring athlete, and this point has only been strengthened by her journey between her two Olympics. After winning all-around gold, Lee went on to compete for Auburn where she won the 2022 NCAA gold on beam and silver in the all-around. Lee planned to return to elite competition after her second season with Auburn, but her NCAA career was cut short when she was faced with a kidney disease. Lee said a year ago she didn’t even know if she would still be competing. Lee fought and competed through adversity, and I cannot wait to see her at her second Olympics. She looks to win another all-around medal, as well as gold on beam.
Last, but certainly not least, is the greatest athlete of all time Simone Biles. Biles has seven Olympic medals and will most likely add several more. After pulling from many events at the 2020 Olympics due to mental health struggles, Biles is back and better than ever. Biles’ openness in talking about her mental health experience is something that was much needed in the sport, and has also contributed to a culture shift and what looks like a much healthier competition environment. The year she returned to competition, Biles won five medals at the 2023 World Championships, four of them gold. Her competition difficulty is also even higher than it was heading into the last Olympics. Biles looks like a whole new athlete competing now, full of smiles and not hesitating to show her emotions. I just hope Biles (and her teammates) have fun in Paris!
This Olympic team is not one that could have been easily predicted, with injuries to Skye Blakely, Kayla DiCello, and Shilese Jones. That being said, this is still an amazing group of athletes that is going to bring an intense level of competition to the Olympics, and I cannot wait to see what they all accomplish.
The vibes are high with the 2024 women’s gymnastics team, and they will be so much fun to watch!
Edited By: Bailey Massey
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