Many thought the 2021 Tokyo Olympics would be the last time we’d see Simone Biles on international gymnastics’ biggest stage, but she’ll be back in 2024 with another shot at gold.
Of course, if Biles wants to win more Olympic gold medals, she’ll need to qualify for the US national team — a position she is likely guaranteed after winning the 2024 Core Hydration Classic by nearly two points — but she still needs to qualify to make the five-person team.
Qualifying for 2024 will look a bit different than it did three years ago. The U.S. National Team has only five team spots remaining, compared to last year’s six (four team spots and two individual spots), so decision makers will be faced with the daunting task of narrowing a talented field down to just five players.
But how exactly do Olympic qualifying work? USA Gymnastics will be hosting two events ahead of the 2024 Olympics to determine the teams for the tournament. Here’s a look at how qualifying will work for these two events.
Read more: Simone Biles becomes world championships’ most decorated gymnast of all time
How does the U.S. Olympic Gymnastics Qualifier process work?
Getting to the Olympics is a rigorous process: Potential U.S. gymnasts must first qualify for the 2024 USA Gymnastics Championships, which will be held May 30-June 2, to be considered for a spot on the Olympic team.
2024 USA Gymnastics Championships
According to Inside Gymnastics Magazine, there are a few ways a gymnast can achieve this. One is to become a member or alternate of the 2023 World Championship team. Another is to earn a score of 51.00 or higher in one of the following events:
- Selected National Team Training Camp after the 2023 U.S. Championships (full routine on competitive surfaces)
- 2024 Selected National Team Training Camp (Full Routine on Competition Surfaces)
- 2024 Winter Cup
- 2024 Classic Meat
- 2024 National Team International Missions
To qualify, athletes competing in only two or three events at the U.S. Championships must earn a combined score of 39.00 (combined three events) or 26.40 (combined two events). These scores must come from one of the following events:
- Selected National Team Training Camp after the 2023 U.S. Championships (full routine on competitive surfaces)
- 2024 Selected National Team Training Camp (Full Routine on Competition Surfaces)
According to Inside Gymnastics magazine, athletes who petition may also be considered for the U.S. Championships.
When gymnasts participate in the U.S. Championships, they become eligible for selection for the 2024 Olympic Trials.
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2024 U.S. Olympic Selection
The U.S. Olympic Trials will be held June 27-30. The top two finishers in the senior all-around competition at the 2024 U.S. National Championships will be automatically selected for the Trials, with at least 10 more invited from the competition (and petitioning athletes). The Athlete Selection Committee may invite more if it wishes.
Incidentally, 17 gymnasts were invited to the U.S. Olympic Trials ahead of the 2021 Tokyo Olympics. A total of 28 senior-level gymnasts competed in the U.S. Championships that year.
The U.S. Olympic Trials will take place over two days, with the competitor with the highest overall score automatically qualifying for the Olympics. An athlete selection committee will choose the remaining four members of the team.
The process is not as simple as choosing the top five gymnasts with the highest scores in the event. The athlete selection committee considers a variety of factors when making their selections, particularly in an effort to diversify the U.S. team and have strong athletes on all four women’s gymnastics events (floor, vault, uneven bars and balance beam).
Below are specific considerations outlined and listed by USA Gymnastics in no particular order.
- Results from events from the past year, including the 2024 Winter Cup, 2024 American Classic, 2024 U.S. Classic, 2024 USA Gymnastics Championships and the 2024 Olympic Trials.
- Difficulty score (D score)
- Execution Score (E-Score)
- Consistency (defined as the percentage of hit routines in official international or national competitions during the 2023-2024 competitive season)
- The combined strength of all Olympic team members, taking into account the possibility of winning medals in team, all-around and individual events.
- World Class Presentation – Strength, endurance, technical execution standards and artistic elements that rival World and Olympic presentations.
- Ready to compete
- physical ability
This means that, apart from the US champion being selected for the team, the selection process will be subjective.
Still, it’s worth noting that USA Gymnastics brought its top five all-around scorers to Tokyo at the 2021 Olympic Trials — four as team members and the fifth as an reserve — and it’s hard to imagine decision-makers deviating too much from that strategy unless the team is in desperate need of a specialist in a particular event.
Read more: When will the 2024 Olympics start? What you need to know about the opening ceremony
How many gymnasts automatically qualify for the Olympics?
As previously mentioned, only one overall winner from the U.S. Team Olympic Trials will automatically qualify for the 2024 Olympics. USA Gymnastics’ Athlete Selection Committee will select the remaining four members of the U.S. team for the Paris Games.
2024 USA Gymnastics Championships Participants
A total of 41 senior women will compete at the 2024 USA Gymnastics Championships. The participants are:
| Gymnast | home town | Affiliation |
| Simone Biles | Spring, Texas | World Champions Center |
| Skye Blakely | Frisco, Texas | WOGA Gymnastics |
| Lee Bui | Swisher, Iowa | Great American Gymnastics Express (V, UB) |
| Jade Carey | Phoenix, Arizona | Oregon State University |
| Darci Kaylor | Spring, Texas | World Champions Center |
| Jordan Chiles | Vancouver, Washington | World Champions Center |
| Chloe Cho | Canyon Country, California | Gymnastics Olympics USA |
| Nora Christian | Bremerton, Washington | Cascade Elite West |
| Nicole Desmond | Wind Gap, Pennsylvania | World Champions Center |
| Kayla DiCello | Boyce, Maryland | Hills Exercise |
| Amelia Disidor | Overland Park, Kansas | Great American Gymnastics Express |
| Tatum Dorsch | White Bear Lake, Minnesota | Somersault Gymnastics |
| Reese Esponda | Missoula, Montana | World Champions Center |
| Addison Fatta | Wrightsville, Pennsylvania | Prestige Gymnastics |
| Kierin Finnell | Pittsford, New York | RGA |
| Jayla Hann | Bellevue, Washington | Pacific Rain Gymnastics |
| Cambry Haynes | Evergreen, Colorado | Adrenaline Gymnastics Academy (V, BB, FX) |
| Madeley Johnson | Dallas, Texas | WOGA Gymnastics |
| Series Jones | Auburn, Washington | Ascend Gymnastics Center |
| Caitlin John | Allen, Texas | Metroplex Gymnastics |
| Suni Lee | St. Paul, Minnesota | Midwest Gymnastics Center (V, BB, FX) |
| Maili Liu | Belmont, California | San Mateo Gymnastics |
| Kariya Lincoln | Frisco, Texas | WOGA Gymnastics |
| Evelyn Lau | Blue Springs, Missouri | Great American Gymnastics Express |
| Nora Matthews | Gilroy, California | Aerial Gymnastics Training Center |
| Annalisa Milton | Lee’s Summit, Missouri | Great American Gymnastics Express |
| Maleah Milton | Lee’s Summit, Missouri | Great American Gymnastics Express |
| Zoe Molomo | Frisco, Texas | Metroplex Gymnastics |
| Marissa Neal | Blue Springs, Missouri | Great American Gymnastics Express |
| Brooke Pearson | Canby, Oregon | World Champions Center |
| Hesley Rivera | Oradell, New Jersey | WOGA Gymnastics |
| Jocelyn Roberson | Texarkana, Texas | World Champions Center |
| Simone Rose | Sammamish, Washington | Pacific Rain Gymnastics |
| Ashley Sullivan | Richardson, Texas | Metroplex Gymnastics |
| Tiana Sumanasekera | Pleasanton, California | World Champions Center |
| Trinity Thomas | York, Pennsylvania | University of Florida |
| Bryn Torry | Yorktown, Virginia | World Class Gymnastics (V, FX) |
| Kamala Williams | Kansas City, Missouri | EDGE Gymnastics – Riverside |
| Lian Wong | Overland Park, Kansas | University of Florida |
| Cerith Woolford | Orange, New Jersey | Buckeye Gymnastics |
| Lexy Zeiss | Omaha, Nebraska | Twin City Twisters |
Three-time Olympic gold medalist Gabby Douglas, who won the individual all-around gold medal at the 2012 London Olympics, was also invited to the championships. She was forced to withdraw due to an ankle injury she suffered before the competition, so she will not be returning to the Olympics for the first time in eight years.
