Current:Home > ContactMeet the U.S. Olympic women's gymnastics team, headlined by Simone Biles, Suni Lee -WealthTrail Solutions
Meet the U.S. Olympic women's gymnastics team, headlined by Simone Biles, Suni Lee
View
Date:2025-04-19 17:24:24
The decision is in, and the U.S. women's gymnastics team for the 2024 Paris Olympics has been finalized.
Simone Biles is on it, of course. She is heavily favored to win her second all-around Olympic gold medal, and tasked with leading the Americans to another team victory at the Games. The U.S. women have won two of the past three team golds, and their chief rival − Russia − has been barred from competing in team competitions.
Biles will be joined on the team by a few of her Olympic teammates from 2021 − and one notable newcomer. Here's a complete breakdown of the team.
Simone Biles
- Age: 27
- Height: 4' 8"
- Hometown: Spring, Texas
- Best event(s): Floor exercise, vault, balance beam
- What more is there to say about Biles? The greatest gymnast of her generation is back for a third trip to the Summer Games, where she will look to add to the seven Olympic medals − including four golds − she has already won. After coming back from a bout of the "twisties" in Tokyo, she has not just looked like her old self over this past year − in many ways, it appears she's gotten even better. It would not be a surprise if she matches her performance from last year's world championships, where she won four golds and a silver, at the Paris Games.
Suni Lee
- Age: 20
- Height: 5' 0"
- Hometown: Saint Paul, Minnesota
- Best event(s): Balance beam, uneven bars
- What to know: Lee is the reigning all-around Olympic champion and, like Biles, she is in the midst of a comeback. After competing collegiately at Auburn, she was diagnosed with a pair of kidney ailments that caused her body to retain fluids and hindered her ability to train. It took her several months of adjusting medication before she was able to return to the gym, and she has only recently been back at full strength in all-around competition. Despite her time away from the sport, Lee remains one of the world's best − particularly on uneven bars, where her scores sometimes eclipse Biles'.
Jordan Chiles
- Age: 23
- Height: 4' 11"
- Hometown: Vancouver, Washington
- Best event(s): Uneven bars, floor exercise
- What to know: At one point, it looked like Chiles might be left on the outside of the Olympic picture. But the 2021 Olympic team veteran has come on strong over the past few weeks, with decent scores at nationals and a particularly brilliant showing on the first day of the Olympic trials. Chiles, who competed colleigately at UCLA, is a longtime training partner and friend of Biles' who always brings energy and positive vibes to the gym. She's capable of not just filling in but contributing on any apparatus and is expected to play a key role for the team in Paris.
Jade Carey
- Age: 24
- Height: 5' 2"
- Hometown: Phoenix, Arizona
- Best event(s): Vault, floor exercise
- What to know: Yet another veteran of the 2021 Tokyo Olympics, where she won gold on floor exercise, Carey went on to compete collegiately at Oregon State before returning to the elite circuit ahead of Paris. She's struggled at times − including a 15th-place finish at the 2023 national championships − but shown steady improvement in recent months, including at trials. Carey will likely be counted on to deliver big scores on floor exercise and vault.
Hezly Rivera
- Age: 16
- Hometown: Oradell, New Jersey
- Best event(s): Balance beam, uneven bars
- What to know: Of the five members on this team, Rivera probably comes as the biggest surprise. The 2023 U.S. junior champion has adapted quickly to the senior level, finishing sixth in the all-around at the national championships earlier this month. This is her first year at the senior level, so she doesn’t have a ton of international experience. But there’s plenty of experience on the team, so she can learn without a lot of pressure being on her directly.
veryGood! (9)
Related
- Tropical rains flood homes in an inland Georgia neighborhood for the second time since 2016
- Evacuations lifted for Salt Lake City fire that triggered evacuations near state Capitol
- US investigating some Jeep and Ram vehicles after getting complaints of abrupt engine stalling
- Heat-related Texas deaths climb after Beryl knocked out power to millions
- Spooky or not? Some Choa Chu Kang residents say community garden resembles cemetery
- Trump, Ukraine's Zelenskyy speak by phone
- Off the Grid: Sally breaks down USA TODAY's daily crossword puzzle, Backpack
- Andrew Garfield's Girlfriend Kate Tomas Calls Out Misogynistic Reactions to Their Romance
- Elon Musk’s Daughter Vivian Calls Him “Absolutely Pathetic” and a “Serial Adulterer”
- Self-professed ‘Wolf of Airbnb’ sentenced to over 4 years in prison for defrauding landlords
Ranking
- The 'Rebel Ridge' trailer is here: Get an exclusive first look at Netflix movie
- Lightning strikes in Greece start fires, kill cattle amid dangerous heat wave
- Oregon woman with flat tire hit by ambulance on interstate, dies
- Biden’s decision to drop out leaves Democrats across the country relieved and looking toward future
- Billy Bean was an LGBTQ advocate and one of baseball's great heroes
- Democrats promise ‘orderly process’ to replace Biden, where Harris is favored but questions remain
- On a summer Sunday, Biden withdrew with a text statement. News outlets struggled for visuals
- Curiosity rover makes an accidental discovery on Mars. What the rare find could mean
Recommendation
Matt Damon remembers pal Robin Williams: 'He was a very deep, deep river'
3 'missing' people found safe, were never in car when it was submerged off Texas pier, police say
FACT FOCUS: A look at false claims around Kamala Harris and her campaign for the White House
JD Vance makes solo debut as GOP vice presidential candidate with Monday rallies in Virginia, Ohio
JoJo Siwa reflects on Candace Cameron Bure feud: 'If I saw her, I would not say hi'
San Antonio church leaders train to serve as mental health counselors
Airlines, government and businesses rush to get back on track after global tech disruption
Full transcript of Face the Nation, July 21, 2024