Simone Biles leads in Day 1 of the U.S. Olympic gymnastics trials

July 15, 2024

MINNEAPOLIS — Nearly all the fans packed inside the arena rose, not to celebrate a highflying skill during the gymnastics Olympic trials but to show their empathy. The ovation was long and loud, and the 19-year-old standing under the massive video board had tears welling up as she alternated between waving to the crowd and bringing her hand to her chest.

Skye Blakely was supposed to be competing here. She perhaps was going to become an Olympian this weekend. Instead, she stood there with crutches and her lower leg heavily wrapped. She ruptured her Achilles’ tendon during a training session two days before the women’s competition here began, a gloomy prelude to what became a meet defined by injuries to key gymnasts.

Shilese Jones, the second-best all-around gymnast in the country, has been dealing with a shoulder issue, and then in warmups before the first day of competition began Friday night, she appeared to suffer a leg injury while practicing a vault. Jones performed only on bars — earning the top score of the evening on the apparatus — but with her health in question, her Olympic hopes appear uncertain. Like Blakely, Jones entered the trials as a favorite to earn a spot on the Olympic team.

Kayla DiCello was the first gymnast to compete after Jones’s scare in warmups, and her vault went awry during her entry onto the table. She bailed out of her intended double twist and rolled backward as she landed on the mat.

DiCello stayed seated on the mat, grimaced and shook her head. She left the arena in a wheelchair with what was later announced as an Achilles’ tendon injury. She will not compete Sunday.

One disappointment after another, it was a cruel reminder of how precarious it can be to have Olympic dreams that depend on luck and timing just as much as potential and ability.

The meet continued without complete performances from three of the top contenders. Simone Biles leads by a wide margin with an all-around score of 58.900. Biles capped the evening with her difficult Yurchenko double pike vault that bears her name. She soared and controlled her landing. This time, the fans rose to celebrate an impressive performance. Biles scored a massive 15.975 for that vault, the best mark she has earned this Olympic cycle.

Biles had a shaky routine on beam but she stayed on, and she avoided major errors on the other apparatuses. Biles almost certainly will clinch an automatic Olympic berth by winning the all-around competition. The four gymnasts who will join her in Paris will be chosen by a three-person selection committee. Jordan Chiles made a strong push to be among those chosen: She’s in second with a 56.400, and she scored at least a 14.000 on vault, bars and floor.

Sunisa Lee, the reigning Olympic all-around champion, continues to get better. Last year, she dealt with kidney-related health issues that significantly limited her training. At each competition this season, she has added more difficult skills to her routines and proved that she will be a medal contender in Paris. Her all-around score (56.025) wasn’t far behind Chiles and enough for third place.

The injuries to Blakely and DiCello, along with Jones’s questionable status, will force the selection committee to identify other gymnasts who can contribute to the U.S. team. Jade Carey scored a 14.600 on vault and a 14.075 on floor to bolster her case as a gymnast who would boost the team’s score. Joscelyn Roberson, who is in fifth in the all-around, has similar strengths but didn’t score quite as high as Carey on those events.

— Emily Giambalvo

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