US Gymnastics Olympic Trials 2020 Preview: Who will join Simone Biles in the US team?
The US Gymnastics Olympic Trials 2020 is slated to commence on Thursday, 24th June 2021. The 16th edition of the trials will take place at the BattleDome in St. Louis, Missouri. The event will see top US gymnasts fighting to qualify for a spot in the US Gymnastics team for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.
The trials will be held from 24th June to 27th June. A total of 39 US gymnasts - 21 men and 18 women - will be participating at the trials. After the successful US Gymnastics Championships 2021, the country's best gymnasts will turn their attentions to the US Gymnastics Olympic trials.
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The US Women's Gymnastics Team will be in the spotlight at the Olympic Trials, considering their success at the 2016 Rio Olympics. In women's gymnastics trials, the top two finishers will book their spots in the four-member team. The other two members will be selected by the US Gymnastics selection committee based on the results at Olympic trials and the US Gymnastics Championships 2021.
Among the women gymnasts, Simone Biles will hog the most attention at the US Gymnastics Olympic Trials 2020. The four-time Olympic gold medalist won her record seventh national title at the US Gymnastics Championships 2021 earlier this month. Biles is a hot favourite to win gold at the Tokyo Olympics 2020.
Read: Top 5 gymnastic moves by Simone Biles.
With four members of the US Women's Gymnastics Team from the 2016 Rio Olympics, including Laurie Hernandez, Alexandra Raisman, Madison Kocian and Gabby Douglas, not part of the Olympic trials this year, the door is open for other women gymnasts to qualify for their debut Olympic games.
On that note, let's take a look at the women gymnasts who will likely join Simone Biles in the US Women's Gymnastics team for the Tokyo Olympics 2020 at the US Gymnastics Olympic Trials 2020:
#1 Jordan Chiles
Jordan Chiles is seen as a serious competitor for four-time Olympic gold medalist Simone Biles. The 20-year-old is considered one of the top US female artistic gymnasts.
Chiles made her senior national debut at the 2017 US Gymnastics Championships, where she won the silver medal in the All-Around. The next year, she burst onto the international scene with gold medals in Team, Vault and Floor events at the Pacific Rim Championships.
This year, she won the silver medal at the GK US Classic, finishing behind Simone Biles. In June, she took home the bronze medal at the 2021 US Gymnastics Championships.
Jordan Chiles is one of the women gymnasts to watch out for at the US Gymnastics Olympic Trials 2021 and is likely to make it to the four-member US Women's Gymnastics team.
Also Read: US Olympic Gymnastics Trials 2020: Who are the favourites to qualify for men's events?
#2 Sunisa Lee
Sunisa Lee is one of the top women contenders who will feature at the US Gymnastics Olympic Trials 2020. She has been a part of the senior US women's gymnastics team since 2019.
The 18-year-old made her senior international debut in 2019 at the City of Jesolo Trophy, where she won gold medals in Team, All-Around, Uneven Bars and Floor Exercise. That made her the next big thing in US women's gymnastics. That year, at the US Gymnastics Championships, Sunisa Lee won the gold, silver and bronze in Uneven Bars, All-Around and Floor Exercise, respectively.
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At the 2019 World Artistic Gymnastics Championships, Lee helped the US women's team win a gold medal in the team event. In 2021, she won a gold medal in Uneven Bars and finished behind Simone Biles in All Around at the US Gymnastics Championships.
The young US gymnastics star will vie for a top-two finish to make it to the US Women's Gymnastics team for the Tokyo Olympics 2020 at the US Gymnastics Olympic Trials 2021.
Also Read: Top 5 historic moments in women's gymnastics at the Olympics.
#3 Jade Carey
Jade Carey will make an appearance at the US Olympic Gymnastics Trials 2020 to book her spot in the US Women's Gymnastics team for the Tokyo Olympics 2020. She has already earned an individual Olympic berth at the apparatus Gymnastics World Cup series.
The 20-year-old is known for performing powerful and highly difficult Vault and Floor Exercises. She has been a member of the US Women's Gymnastics team since 2017. Carey made her debut at the American Classic, where she won gold medals in Vault, Balance Beam and Floor Exercise.
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In 2019, Jade Carey helped the US Gymnastics team win gold at the World Gymnastics Championships. At the 2020 US Gymnastics Championships, she finished sixth in the All-Round event.
If Carey makes it to the four-member team at the US Gymnastics Olympic Trials 2020, US Gymnastics will have to probably forgo her individual spot and send five members to the Tokyo Olympics 2020.
Also Read: US Olympic Gymnastics Trials 2020: Laurie Hernandez and Morgan Hurd out of trials.
#4 Emma Malabuyo
Emma Malabuyo is another female gymnast who will be in contention for the top two spots at the US Gymnastics Olympic Trials to make it to the US Women's Gymnastics team for the Tokyo Olympics 2020.
The 18-year-old gymnast has been a member of the senior US Women's Gymnastics team since 2018. She made her senior international debut at the City of Jesolo Trophy, where she won gold medals in the All-Around, Balance Beam and Floor Exercise events.
At the 2021 US Gymnastics Championships, Emma Malabuyo finished behind Simone Biles, Sunisa Lee and Jordan Chiles. She is likely to be one of the top contenders at the US Gymnastics Olympic Trials 2020.
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