US Gymnastics Trials: Simone Biles qualifies for Paris Olympics

MINNEAPOLIS

After disappointing and sometimes shocking results three years ago in Tokyo, Simone Biles, Suni Lee, Jordan Chiles and Jade Carey return to the Olympics with one goal in mind.

“We’re here for redemption,” Chiles said after being named to her second consecutive Olympic team.

The Olympic veterans swept the U.S. gymnastics trials Sunday, making the U.S. team for the Paris Games along with rookie Hezly Rivera. The New Jersey native, who turned 16 less than four weeks ago, beat out 18-year-old Joscelyn Roberson for the final spot. Roberson and Leanne Wong will travel with the team to Paris as alternates.

Gymnasts (from left) Hezly Rivera, Joscelyn Roberson, Suni Lee, Simone Biles, Jade Carey, Jordan Chiles and Leanne Wong celebrate after being named to the 2024 U.S. Olympic team Sunday night. Roberson and Wong will be alternates.

(Abbie Parr/Associated Press)

The team will attempt to win what would be a third U.S. gold medal in the last four Olympics. His silver medal in Tokyo was the only low point in a streak of success that also includes every World Team Championship since 2011. It is more commonly remembered as the moment when Biles retired from the team final.

The seven-time Olympic medalist withdrew from the event citing her mental health, causing panic among the team. She wondered if she could ever do gymnastics again. Now 27 and returning for her third Olympics, Biles dominated the trials, finishing first in the all-around more than five points ahead of second-place Lee.

Biles has been nearly unstoppable since her return to the sport in 2023. Every time she unleashes another jaw-dropping Yurchenko double pike, she proves that she's not only back, but better than ever.

However, she does not seek to fight for revenge or to gain praise from others. For Biles and her teammates, all they seek is redemption.

For us, I know we are stronger than what we showed in Tokyo, Biles said. I think it has to be for us because it can't be for anyone else because that can't be the reason we're doing it. We do it for ourselves and for the love of the sport and for the love of representing the United States. So we were going to go out there and we were going to do our best.

Biles' exit from the team final in Tokyo left the United States battling for second place. It was the first time since 2008 that the U.S. failed to win team gold at an Olympics. Each gymnast still has fresh memories of the individual missteps from those Games.

Chiles suffered a major break in form on bars during team qualifying and fell twice on beam. Although she competed in the team final for Biles and nailed all of her routines, she was the only American gymnast to leave Tokyo without an individual medal.

Carey did not compete as a team member, having only qualified as a specialist in the event. She won gold on floor, but the Oregon State star stumbled on vault, missing her first attempt and finishing last.

Lee, the reigning all-around champion, was favored for two individual gold medals, but she settled for silver on uneven bars and fifth on balance beam after experiencing a major instability. Getting first place on balance beam was on her list of individual goals, but making sure the team won gold was her top priority.

This time around, we're a lot more mature, Lee said, and have grown to the point of knowing what we can and can't do and also making sure we take our bodies and our mental health first.

Lee's journey to her second Olympics has been daunting. The former Auburn star battled two kidney diseases that are now in remission. While she sought treatment, her weight fluctuated dramatically as her body swelled with water. Because of her health issues, Lee was slow to prepare for the Olympics, not competing in the all-around competition until the U.S. championships in early June. She admits she's still building confidence in her gymnastics.

After falling on her balance beam routine Sunday, Lee faced another mental challenge. She headed straight to the tunnel to compose herself for several minutes. She told her teammates she wasn’t feeling well. They responded by helping her refocus. Lee bounced back with solid floor and vault routines.

Simone Biles smiles after participating in floor exercises on Sunday.

(Charlie Riedel / Associated Press)

Biles has made her mental health the calling card of her comeback, pointing to her weekly therapy appointments as the reason she returned to an elite level. Sitting in front of a packed news conference at the trials, Biles said she never imagined she would compete in another Olympics when she left Tokyo. She didn't think she would ever twist again.

On Sunday, she performed a dizzying triple twist and double flip technique on the floor in front of a packed audience at the Target Center who gave her a standing ovation after her final pose. With one last successful routine in hand, Biles could finally exhale. She sat at the top of the stairs on the podium and sighed.

Oh my God, she mumbled.

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