From Simone Biles to Sam Mikulak: Top 5 gymnasts to watch out at the 2021 U.S. National Gymnastics Championship
With just three weeks remaining until the 2021 U.S. Olympic trials, the big names in the field of gymnastics will square off against each other at the U.S. National Gymnastics Championship on Thursday.
The 2021 U.S. National Gymnastics Championship will be spread across four days with coverage beginning at 8 p.m. ET on the Olympic Channel. Fans will be able to watch the delayed broadcast later on NBC Sports.
As the name suggests, the 2021 U.S. National Gymnastics Championship will feature only American gymnasts and mark the 57th edition of the annual tournament. The 2020 version of the games was canceled due to the Covid-19 pandemic and gymnasts will be raring to put their best foot forward.
The U.S. National Gymnastics Championships have allowed gymnasts like Shannon Miller and Kurt Thomas in the past to transition into household names in America.
It remains to be seen whether familiar names will continue their dominance or if we will witness some new faces take over the mantle at the forthcoming event.
Top athletes at the U.S. National Gymnastics Championship
#5 Morgan Hurd
Morgan Hurd began her senior gymnastics career in 2017 and holds two gold medals and two silvers at the World Championships. Coached by Slava Glazounov, she will be eyeing a berth in the Tokyo Olympics and will pose a tough challenge to her countrymates.
Hurd had elbow surgery in mid-March and began 2021 on a sour note. At the U.S. Classic Competitions, she finished 11th and 10th respectively on Balance Beam and Floor Exercise.
Hurd's special moves include Moors on Floor Exercise (I difficulty) and Full-In on the Balance Beam (G difficulty). It remains to be seen if she can pull the above moves at the 2021 U.S. National Gymnastics Championship.
#4 Yul Moldauer
Yul Modauer may have lost his charm in the last two years but the South Korean-born will be more than happy to bring back his form at the upcoming 2021 U.S. National Gymnastics Championship.
The 2017 bronze medallist at the World Championships won three silver medals at the 2019 national championships and will be eager to go one level up this time.
Yul is a regular name when it comes to podium finishes at the national championships. He will surely not let his guard down this time.
#3 Jordan Chiles
Like the earlier two names, Jordan Chiles too began her senior career in 2017 but doesn't have a medal to show for her efforts at the World Championships.
However, she showed a lot of promise in 2021 by winning the first-ever Women's Winter World Cup Championships in February and finishing second behind Simone Biles at the US Classic Championships in May.
Chusovitina in Floor Exercise and Piked Tkatchev in Uneven Bars remain her pivotal moves in 2021. Chiles will be eager to pull the moves once again at the 2021 U.S. National Gymnastics Championship.
#2 Sam Mikulak
Beginning his senior career in 2012, Sam Mikulak is a veteran in the field of gymnastics and will be raring to take one more shot at the Olympics. The 28-year-old has said it before that the event in Tokyo will be his last Olympics.
Mikulak has won a total of two bronze medals at the World Championships and is a six-time U.S. national all-round champion. This is the last event before the U.S. Olympic trials for Mikulak to test his agility. He should come out with all guns blazing if he doesn't want to miss the flight to Tokyo.
#1 Simone Biles
Simone Biles recently etched her name in the history books by becoming the first woman to land the Yurchenko double pike on Vault. The move enjoys a difficulty rating of 6.6 and helped her clinch a gold medal in the U.S. Classic tournament.
Biles has a combined total of 30 Olympic and World Championship medals and will be eager to add more collections to her tally in Tokyo. But to do that, she needs to qualify first and she will need to have momentum on her side at the Olympic Trials.
The U.S. National Gymnastics Championship is the perfect opportunity for her to show her worth to her opponents and pull off some scintillating moves.