Catherine Rusoff
Simone Biles looks ready for the Paris Olympics in 2024. THE GOAT of Gymnastics achieved the highest overall score at the US Classic and was the top scorer for the ground exercise, which began with “…Ready For It?” Biles will likely make Team USA — but who else could join her?
At the US Classic in Connecticut on Saturday, Biles, 27, achieved an overall score of 59,500, with the highest scores in the jumping and floor exercises. She was two points ahead of her next closest competitor, Shilese Jones, who earned the top score on bars.
The US Classic is a major Olympic qualifying event. The top scorers from that event will advance to the US National Championships in Fort Worth, Texas, May 30-June 2. The U.S. Gymnastics Olympic Trials will begin on June 27, ahead of the summer games that begin on July 26.
While Jones, 21, took silver at the US Classic, Jordan Chiles, who competed for Team USA at the Tokyo Olympics, took bronze.
Suni Lee and Jade Carey, who were also part of Team USA in 2020, also won medals in individual events on Saturday and Carey placed fourth overall.
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All of these women, along with Kaliya Lincoln, who medaled on floor, and Skye Blakely, who received fifth place overall, are set to go to the US National Championships and are hopefuls for Team USA.
Former Olympic gold medalist Gabby Douglas returned to the sport eight years after the 2016 Rio Games. Not only did she compete in Rio, but at the 2012 London Olympics, Douglas became the first black woman to win the Olympic all-around title .
Douglas, however, had a difficult start on the uneven bars and decided to withdraw from the remaining US Classic events.
While Biles appears to be the clear choice for the Olympics, the other four teammates and two alternates have yet to be determined.
During the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, Biles withdrew from several events after experiencing a case of “twisties,” a disorienting sensation while flying through the air in the vault. She announced that she was taking a break from events to focus on her mental health.
“I was very happy to be back, to overcome that nervousness again, to feel that adrenaline,” Biles said about returning to the sport. “I can’t complain about how the first date back went.”
During the jumping exercise, she landed a double Yurchenko spear – also known as “Biles II” because she was the first woman to perform the move in competition. She did so at the 2021 US Classic.
Caitlin O’Kane
