While it was difficult for USA Gymnastics to select its four-person women’s team for the 2021 Tokyo Olympics, selecting participants for the 2024 Paris Olympics may be even tougher.
Why? The U.S. brought six gymnasts to the Tokyo Games: four team members and two individuals. This year they might only bring five, but all of them will compete in team competitions.
This has two benefits for the U.S. team. First, it gives them more flexibility in team play. every Members need to be good all-around players — in other words, Team USA has room for one specialist if any area needs strengthening.
At the same time, the U.S. will have to carefully choose which gymnasts to compete and which to reserve, as it will lose one spot overall.
Four of the six women who competed for the U.S. team in Tokyo are vying for a spot on the 2024 team. Two are not returning: Grace McCollum and the now-retired Mikayla Skinner. Even without them, the competition will be fierce, with the best athletes battling it out at the U.S. Championships and Olympic Trials.
Who will make the U.S. women’s Olympic gymnastics team in 2024? Sporting News breaks down which gymnasts have the best chance of competing in Paris this summer.
Read more: Simone Biles and others could compete at the 2024 Paris Olympics
Predictions for the USA Gymnastics Team for the 2024 Olympics
Simone Biles
Biles is set to compete in her third Olympic Games. The 27-year-old is the greatest gymnast of all time, with seven medals, including four golds. Biles performs moves no one else can, and she has several named after her because she was the first (and in some cases only) gymnast to perform them.
Biles finished in the top two in every event at the Core Hydration Classic. She won by nearly two points and is expected to repeat that result in the final two qualifying events to secure the only automatic berth to the Olympics. Biles will be eager to keep winning after being hindered by her match with Twisties in Tokyo, and Team USA will be excited to see her compete in all four events again.
Series Jones
After Biles, Jones is the favorite to qualify for Paris 2024. The 21-year-old has developed into a star athlete, winning the bronze medal in the all-around at the 2023 World Championships in Antwerp. Like Biles, Jones has a well-rounded game and would be a strong addition to the U.S. team in all four events.
As an example, Jones placed in the top four in each event at the Core Hydration Classic. She posted the highest score on the uneven bars (15.250) and earned at least 14.000 points on the vault, balance beam and floor exercise. That earned her second place, just under two points behind Biles but more than two points ahead of third-place finisher Jordan Childs.
If Jones continues to show that level of separation between herself and the other skaters (minus Biles), she’ll surely earn a roster spot.
Suni Lee
You can’t leave the reigning Olympic all-around gold medalist off your roster, can you? Lee is still recovering from kidney issues that led to an early end to her collegiate and Olympic career, but she competed at the Core Hydration Classic and performed well.
Although Lee was not yet ready to compete on the uneven bars, one of her specialties, she recorded a tournament-best score of 14.600 on the balance beam and also performed well on the vault and floor exercise.
If Li can further improve her strength and endurance heading into the Olympics, she could provide the U.S. team with a dynamic top three, but even if she prepares only as a balance beam specialist and perhaps attempts to return to the uneven bars, she would be of great value to the U.S.
Jade Carey
Speaking of specialists, Carey was one of the best at the Tokyo Olympics. She made the 2021 team as an individual and won gold on floor exercise. The Oregon State University graduate is also a top-tier vaulter, and her 14.300 at the Core Hydration Classic was third-best behind Biles and Jones. So bringing her in as Li’s backup makes sense. Together, the pair could produce top-tier scores on all events (assuming Li returns to the uneven bars at the Olympics).
Jordan Chiles
That will be the biggest question going into the Olympic Trials: Can Chilis make the 2024 Olympic five-man team?
Chiles, who finished third at the Core Hydration Classic, has a strong all-around game and Olympic experience few others have. The question is whether she can push the team’s ceiling high enough, given that Biles and Jones currently have better all-around games than her. Team USA might prefer to bring a specialist to Paris instead of Chiles if they’re confident the U.S. can win gold in each event.
Still, it’s worth noting that Team USA’s depth in this projection is the most unstable on bars, given that Lee did not compete on bars at the Core Hydration Classic. Chiles placed third on bars behind Jones and Biles, tied with Lexi Theis and Trinity Thomas, with a score of 14.300.
That, combined with Childs’ experience, could be enough to earn her a place on the team ahead of other top contenders.
More: 2024 USA Gymnastics Championships updates, results, scores
In the middle of the hunt
These gymnasts are in doubt for the 2024 Olympic team, but could easily make the team if one of the front-runners makes a mistake or gets injured. Otherwise, these gymnasts are expected to be considered the favorites for the event.
Lian Wong
Wong was a star collegiate gymnast who earned eight perfect 10s while at the University of Florida, which she achieved in all four events, a perfect testament to her well-rounded game.
| Discipline | Perfect 10 (Florida) |
| Uneven bars | Four |
| Balance beam | 2 |
| safe | 1 |
| Floor Exercises | 1 |
Wong may not be a dominant force in any particular event, but she would certainly be an alternate if she doesn’t finish in the top five. Having served as an alternate in the 2021 Olympics, she’s a safe bet that could bring comfort and experience to the U.S. team.
And if she beats Chiles on the uneven bars at the Olympic Trials, USA Gymnastics could be forced to make some tough decisions about the composition of its team.
Tiana Sumanasekera
It’s hard to find weaknesses in Sumanasekera’s competition. The 16-year-old scored at least 13.000 in all four events at the Core Hydration Classic, including a solid 13.900 on floor exercise. The U.S. team may be looking to strengthen its floor exercise. With Li still working on her routine, Sumanasekera’s talents will be in demand, especially if she performs well at the Olympic Trials.
Skye Blakely
Blakely is another gymnast with few weaknesses in competition: At the Core Hydration Classic, she earned a score of 14.050 on vault and placed in the top 10 on balance beam (13.850, sixth place) and floor (13.250, tied for eighth).
Lee was sidelined for an extended period due to kidney issues, but if there is any doubt about her readiness to return, Blakely could fill in and add some extra talent to the team on balance beam, which was Lee’s best event at the Core Hydration Classic (14.600, 1st place).
Read more: Why Gabby Douglas chose to withdraw from U.S. Championships and the Olympics
Kariya Lincoln
Lincoln could be called up to Team USA if they need a floor specialist. She scored 14.000 on floor at the Core Hydration Classic, tying her for second all-around with Cirith Jones. The only question is whether Lincoln will do well enough in other areas to earn a spot on the team, or if she’s best off as a top alternate.
