U.S. Women's Artistic Gymnastics Finalizes Its Roster Ahead of Olympics

Photo credit: teamusa.org

U.S. Women's Artistic Gymnastics Finalizes Its Roster Ahead of Olympics

Winners of the 2012 and 2016 Olympic Team Competition, the highly-anticipated 

U.S. Women’s Artistic Gymnastics roster has been cemented for the upcoming Summer Olympics, following a fervent trials last month. 

There were no surprises atop the standings. Veteran Simone Biles took home the all-around title by more than two points (118.098) and claimed top marks in the vault (30.849) and floor (29.996). The winner of four gold medals at Rio in 2016, Biles looks to add more hardware to her remarkable collection as she leads the U.S. team. 

Behind her, 18-year-old Sunisa Lee claimed the remaining automatic qualifying spot with a second-place finish overall (115.832) with top marks in the uneven bars (30.200) and balance beam (29.466). Lee’s day-two score was the highest of the competition, beating out even Biles.

Jordan Chiles — Biles’ training partner — was awarded a spot on Team USA with a pair of strong performances at both the Trials (114.631) and the U.S. National Championships. Just three years ago Chiles left the National Championships questioning her future in the sport after a disappointing 11th-place finish, making this accomplishment all the more remarkable. 

Rounding out the four-person team is Grace McCallum, who showed she had bounced back from an injury-plagued year with a passionate two-day performance (112.564) to earn her a spot. McCallum adds experience as a member of the 2018 and 2019 World Championship teams. 

Meanwhile, MyKayla Skinner — an alternate on the Rio team — will compete as a specialist with the ability to compete in any of the four events. Jade Carey was named the other specialist, having already earned her spot through the FIG Artistic Gymnastics World Cup Series and used both Nationals and the Trials as learning experiences.