The U.S. gymnastics team that competes in the 2024 Paris Olympics will almost certainly add Simone Biles to the team, although who else joins may depend on who is still healthy.
Series Jones, a member of the U.S. National Team world champion squads in 2022 and 2023, It was decided he would miss the remainder of the Olympic trials on Saturday. She is the third major contender to be selected for the Olympic team after suffering an injury during vault warm-ups on Day 1. She joins Skye Blakely and Kayla DiCello.
Jones competed only on the uneven bars due to an injury, but earned the tournament’s highest score of 14.675 on that event. It was a special moment, at least for her mother.
Jones withdrew from the U.S. Championships last month because of a shoulder injury and was required to apply to participate in the qualifiers.
Her injury is a major blow to the U.S. team. She is the only woman in the world to reach the all-around podium at the past two world championships, winning silver behind Brazil’s Rebeca Andrade in 2022 and Biles in 2023. If healthy, she would have almost guaranteed a spot on the Olympic team on her uneven bars talents alone and been a potential medalist in the all-around.
Blakely and DiCello were also in line for a shot at making the Olympic team, but both ruptured their Achilles tendons this week — Blakely fell during podium training two days before the qualifying round, and DiCello mislanded on the vault — and immediately sensed something was wrong.
With all three athletes dropping out of the competition, the leaderboard at the end of the first day of qualifying featured the following top five:
1. Simone Biles, 58.900
2. Jordan Chiles, 56.400
3. Sunisa Lee, 56.025
4. Jade Carey, 55.825
5. Jocelyn Roberson, 55.475
The five-member Olympic team will be named on the second day of qualifying on Sunday.
