Simone Biles and who? Meet the other stars of US Gymnastics team at Tokyo Olympics
Simone Biles will be the cynosure of all eyes when she takes center stage at the Tokyo Olympics. However, the other team members of the US Gymnastics team are not supposed to be counted out.
Biles will be counting on her teammates to win the gold medal in the women's all-around team event. The men will be hoping to get on the podium after missing out on the previous two editions of the Olympics.
The men's team finished fourth in the 2019 World Gymnastics Championship behind Russia, China, and Japan. The women will be competing against each other in the qualifiers as only two gymnasts from the same country can feature in the finals.
So, who are the other team members of US Gymnastics team going to the Tokyo Olympics? Let's find out.
US Gymnastics Women's Team alongside Simone Biles
Jordan Chiles
Chiles finished just behind Simone Biles in the 2021 US Classic tournament in May in the all-around competition and punched her Tokyo Olympics ticket by finishing in third spot at the US Gymnastics Olympic Trials.
Sunisa Lee
Biles' teammate Sunisa Lee was part of the US Gymnastics team that took the top honors at the 2019 World Championships in the women's all-around team event. She finished second and third in the floor exercise and uneven bars respectively and will be hoping to change the hue of the medal.
Grace McCallum
Grace McCallum will be the fourth and final member of the US Women's Gymnastics Team that will participate in the team's all-around event. The 18-year-old was already part of the World Championships team that clinched gold medals in 2018 and 2019.
Jade Carey
While the aforementioned names will compete in the team all-around event alongside individual events, USA earned two individual quotas in the Tokyo Olympics as well. Jade Carey was part of the 2019 World Championships winning team.
She also has three individual silver medals to her name, having medalled in 2017 and 2019. Despite not having a fruitful outing in the US Gymnastics Olympic Trials, she was allotted an Olympic berth courtesy of her performance in the Apparatus World Cup series.
MyKayla Skinner
After heading into the 2016 Olympics as an alternate athlete, MyKayla Skinner will be a part of the individual events of the US Gymnastics team at the Tokyo Olympics. At the US Gymnastics Olympic Trials, she finished fifth but got her tickets to Tokyo booked through the non-nominative spot.
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Alternate athletes: Leanne Wong, Kayla DiCello, Emma Malabuyo and Kara Eaker.
US Gymnastics Men's Team
Brody Malone
The seven-time NCAA National Champion finished first in the US Gymnastics Olympic Trials and booked his ticket to Tokyo. Malone will be looking forward to adding more medals to his collection as he has only one silver (2019 Pan American Games) and one bronze (2020 Winter Cup) medal for his showing.
Sam Mikulak
A veteran of the international circuit, Sam Mikulak will be competing in his third Olympics and would be eager to finally add an Olympic medal to his collection. The 28-year-old has two bronze medals at the World Championships. Mikulak finished fourth in the all-around event but was first on the floor exercise at the US Gymnastics Olympic Trials.
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Yul Moldauer
The 2017 US national all-around champion and bronze medallist in floor exercise at the 2017 World Gymnastics Championships, Yul Moldauer, will be hoping to make it count in his debut Olympics. He finished second in the US Gymnastics Olympic Trials to make the team.
Shane Wiskus
After representing the USA at the 2019 World Championships and drawing a blank, Shane Wiskus will be hoping to make it count at the Tokyo Olympics. He finished third in the US Gymnastics Olympic Trials and will be the final member of the men's team.
Alec Yoder
Unlike the other names on the list, Alec Yoder will not be a part of the USA men's team at the Tokyo Olympics but will be participating in the individual events. He participated in the 2018 World Championships and will be making his way to the second big event of his career.
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Alternate athletes: Alex Diab, Akash Modi, Allan Bower, Cameron Bock, Brandon Briones