Simone Biles is a lock for the US Olympic team but who else will join her?

Simone Biles is set to join her third Olympic team this weekend at the U.S. Olympic Team Trials in Minneapolis. The event is a formality for the GOAT, but who are the other gymnasts looking forward to the Paris 2024 Games?

With the men’s team set for Saturday and the women’s team set for Sunday, here’s everything you need to know about the Olympic Trials and Team USA’s rising gymnastics stars.

How is the Olympic gymnastics team selected?

The top finisher in the all-around after two days of competition at the trials will earn an automatic spot on the five-member women’s Olympic team. The other four women competing in Paris will be determined by a selection committee, which will use the results of previous trials and competitions to complete the team.

Stream every moment and every medal from the Paris 2024 Olympic Games on Peacock, starting with the Opening Ceremony on July 26 at 12 noon ET.

Four Olympic alternates will also be named in Minneapolis, two of whom will travel to Paris to train with the team.

Assembling the US team mainly revolves around the final team competition, where the gold medal is awarded to the team. Three gymnasts compete on each apparatus and all three scores are tallied.

Choosing which gymnasts can increase Team USA’s points in a three-on-three count format is often compared to putting together a puzzle. Choosing a team isn’t always as easy as picking the five best gymnasts throughout the trials.

If the top five finishers in the all-around are all high scorers on vault and floor, for example, but weak on uneven bars and beam, taking the top five gymnasts to Paris would leave Team USA vulnerable in those events . In order to maximize team points, the selection committee can select an athlete who may have finished lowest in the all-around, but is the nation’s top scorer on bars and beam.

In the men’s category, the five-member team competes on six devices. The automatic point is difficult to clinch, requiring a gymnast to place first in the all-around and top three in at least three events. No gymnast has accomplished this feat at the U.S. Championships in Fort Worth.

Who is competing for the Olympic team?

There are 20 men and 16 women competing for Olympic spots this weekend. Top competitors on the men’s side include all-around national champion Brodie Malone, world bronze medalist Fred Richard, Khoi Yeung, Yul Moldauer, Asher Hong, Donnell Wittenberg and Shane Weskus.

The American men are seeking their first Olympic medal since 2008 after winning silver at last year’s world championships.

While there are 15 gymnasts competing at the trials, only about 11 are currently in conversation to join the Paris Olympic team.

Sky Blakely, a 19-year-old Texas native, was the favorite for the Paris team entering these trials, but he suffered a season-ending Achilles injury during practice for a podium finish on Wednesday. She was a member of the gold medal-winning team at the 2022 and 2023 World Championships, and recently finished second in the all-around behind Biles at the US Championships.

Leaders

Simone Biles

Barring serious injuries or other unforeseen disasters, Biles will go to Paris. She is an all-around world champion and winner of 37 world and Olympic medals. Her scoring potential is the highest of any gymnast in the world and she is a favorite to win Olympic gold medals in the all-around, vault and floor events. For Biles, the trials are more about mental preparation, so she can emulate the pressure of the Olympic crowd before Paris.

Shelly Jones

Before the US Championships a few weeks ago, many had described the six-time world medalist as a lock for Team Paris. However, Jones’ status is somewhat of a question mark ahead of the trials after she pulled out of the tournament with a shoulder injury. At the Classic in May, she cemented herself as the country’s strongest gymnast behind Biles, placing second in the all-around and winning the uneven bars. If she performs anywhere near that level in Minneapolis, Jones is very likely to make her first Olympic team after her failed 2021.

Sonny Lee

Olympic all-around champion Li is not quite as strong on all four apparatus as she was in Tokyo after suffering from kidney disease last year. However, her prospects in Paris remain promising given her medal potential on balance beam and uneven bars.

On both days of the US Championships, Lee produced impressive performances on beam, cementing her potential as an asset that the USA will certainly use at this event in the team final. Lee will be hoping to increase her score to prove she can be relied upon in all four events in a pinch, but her bars and beam could be enough for the selection committee to take her on.

Top contenders

Jordan Chile

Chiles fulfilled her Olympic dreams in 2021 when she won silver in the team event at the Tokyo Olympics. Like some other gymnasts in this category, Chiles is a very balanced all-around competitor, but lacks a standout event. It’s unlikely she’d get an individual medal at the Olympics if she were to make the team, but she can prove in trials that she can be relied upon to cover any apparatus in a team competition.

If Biles, Jones, Blakely and Lee make the team, Chiles could secure a top-five spot on the team thanks to a strong result in the floor exercises and a high placing in the all-around over the two days of competition.

Jade Curry

The current Olympic champion, Curry in his prime, would complement this team in many ways. She is clearly strong on floor exercises and has the potential to medal on vault as well. Carrie is skilled at climaxing at the right time and unveiled Amanar’s vault in training. She’s still searching for her second Olympic team.

Kayla DiCillo

After being named as an alternate for the Tokyo Olympics in 2021, DiCillo is back for another try to fulfill her Olympic dream. She took a year off from competing in NCAA gymnastics for the University of Florida to return to her elite club and train in Paris. That decision appears to have paid off for DiCello, whose bronze-medal performance at the championships had “Olympic” written all over it. She sometimes struggles with consistency, but if she hits an 8/8 routine this weekend, this could be DiCello’s year.

Lian Wong

After a disappointing performance at the Championships, Wong appeared to be on track to repeat as an Olympic alternate. At a training session in Minneapolis on Wednesday, she made her first appearance in Cheng’s basement, likely contesting that narrative. Increasing Wong’s difficulty can pay off if you compete with her successfully, but last-minute upgrades aren’t always worth the risk.

Her gymnastics is stunning to watch and she will be hoping to return to her earlier consistency in the quad, having won gold in the team event at the last two World Championships and individual all-around silver at the 2021 World Championships.

Potential dark horses

Jocelyn Roberson

Roberson trains at the World Champions Center alongside Biles. She was impressive in 2023 and made the world team last fall, despite getting injured just before the team final. She’s a “strong gymnast” whose best events are floor and vault, but she’s currently being outperformed by gymnasts of equal strength.

Kalia Lincoln

Like Jones, Lincoln returned from injury and had to petition to compete in the trials. She’s here primarily for one event, the floor exercise, which is also the weakest in the United States at the moment. It is very likely that Lincoln will finish in the top three in this event during the trials, but unfortunately he is not the strongest all-around gymnast.

The Lincoln floor will increase Team USA’s scoring potential in the team final, but the selection committee may decide it is too risky to bring in a gymnast who cannot record usable scores on bars and beam if another team member falls.

Playfully Rivera

Before the championships, very few had that first year on their Olympic team. After her surprise sixth-place finish there, she found herself in the conversation for the Paris team. She lacks international experience and her best events are the same as Lee’s, so she’ll likely be moved to a backup position at this point. However, if the top contenders struggle with consistency, Rivera could be a tough call for the team.

Tiana Somanasekera

Beam queen and another training partner of the GOAT, Sumanasekera was one of the few gymnasts to achieve all of her routines at the championships. Joining the Paris team may be a long shot for her, but she may get an alternative place. The future is bright for the 16-year-old, who is expected to be around until Los Angeles 2028 for the home Olympics.