The 2024 Paris Olympics are creeping ever closer and for female US gymnasts, including global superstar Simone Biles, the Core Hydration Classic on Saturday represents the first step towards qualifying for the Summer Games.
Remarkably, three Olympic all-around champions will feature in the field for the first time ever, with Gabby Douglas and Sunisa Lee – who collected Olympic golds in 2012 and 2021 respectively – also competing alongside Biles at the event in Hartford, Connecticut.
The last time the three women competed against each other eight years ago at the national championships, Biles came out on top, Douglas finished fourth and Lee finished 10th in the juniors.
Since then, all three have achieved enormous success but have each faced their own challenges, adding a comeback quality to their attempts to qualify for Paris, which begin in earnest on Saturday.
Despite such a talented field, it is Biles who remains the star attraction. She withdrew from several events at the Tokyo Olympics after suffering from what is known as the “twisties” – a mental block causing a gymnast to lose track of their positions midair – but is now looking to add to her tally of seven Olympic medals at Paris 2024.
Biles won a bronze in the balance beam in Tokyo but took an extended break from gymnastics after the Games before returning to the sport last year.
Shortly after her return, she won four gold medals, as well as a silver, at the world championships and became the most decorated male or female gymnast ever, surpassing Belarusian Vitaly Scherbo’s record of 33 overall medals across both the Olympics and the world championships.
Now, Biles begins the qualifying road to Paris at the Core Hydration Classic. The final opportunity to secure a spot is at the national championships in June where the top performers will be selected for the Olympic Trials.
Three-time Olympic gold medalist Douglas, meanwhile, will be making just her second competitive appearance since the 2016 Rio Olympics, 10 months after announcing her return to the sport.
Douglas realized she missed competing while watching the US national championships in 2022, she told NBC News Now, and decided to resume training. “Now I can’t believe I’m in this sport again,” she added.
Lee has also endured long stretches away from the gym since her Olympic triumph three years ago. Kidney disease threatened to derail her gymnastics career, but treatment allowed her to manage the condition and set her sights on Paris.
The example set by Biles has proved inspirational for Lee, she told Reuters last month, helping her to become a lot more open in talking about her mental health.
As well as Douglas and Lee, Biles will be competing against 13 other medalists from the Olympics, World Championships and/or Pan American Games this weekend, including Tokyo Olympic floor champion Jade Carey and six-time world championship medalist Shilese Jones.
How to watch
Biles will compete in the second session of the senior women’s competition at 7-9 p.m. ET on Saturday May 18, alongside other gymnasts who have competed at the Olympics or World Championships. The first session, from 2-4 p.m. ET, will feature all other senior gymnasts.
Fans can watch the first senior session live on the USA Gymnastics YouTube channel, before the second session – featuring Biles, Douglas and Lee – begins on CNBC and Peacock. NBC will also air a recap show on Sunday May 19 at 2 p.m. ET.
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