It's crunch time for U.S. gymnasts as Simone Biles, Suni Lee impress at national team camp

Just half a year of work separates U.S. gymnasts from a dream of a lifetime.

That's part of the message that 2004 Olympic all-around gold medallist Carly Patterson delivered to more than 20 Paris 2024 hopefuls including fellow Olympic all-around winners Simone Biles and Suni Lee ahead of a February U.S. national team training camp, which began Monday (5 February) at Stars Gymnastics Sports Center in Katy, Texas.

"Six months out from the Olympics, I was starting to get distracted by all the things that a 16-year-old would want to do. My coach had to kind of sit me down and have a come to Jesus meeting [with me]," said Patterson, who is serving in a newly created national team mentor role. "He was like, 'Hey, look, we got six months, like, what are your priorities? Do you think you can put your blinders on? Do you think you can drown out all the distractions right now and just work as hard as you possibly can, as you ever have for the next six months? So you don't have to look back, have regrets, wonder what could have happened.’"

That work was apparent from the word go on Monday.

The three-hour workout began with an open stretch followed by physical abilities testing where the gymnasts rotate through stations designed to analyze their ability to leap, jump, cast to handstand, climb the rope and more.

Then, the athletes took to the apparatus for 20-minute rotations with the last two women to claim Olympic all-around titles impressing.

Lee, whose status has been somewhat unknown as she continues to deal with a kidney-related medical condition that cut short her NCAA career and took her out of contention for international competition last year, started her event work on the balance beam where she impressed.

The 20-year-old showed an entire beam routine sans dismount. The routine included a round off, layout stepout to two back handspring mount, a switch leap, switch half, ring jump sequence and an aerial to two layout stepouts acrobatic series.

As Lee’s training group rotated to the floor exercise, she stayed behind, focusing on specific elements and choreography with national staff.

In the final rotation, Lee trained on the uneven bars, working on a Pak to Maloney to Gienger sequence.

For her part, Biles began on the vault, focusing much of her time on the difficult Amanar – a vault that ends with a two-and-a-half twisting back flip off the table. It’s a vault the 30-time World medallist opted not to perform in the 2023 season and the one where Biles’ case of the twisties (what gymnasts call when their bodies and minds fall of sync) manifested itself during the Tokyo 2020 team final.

The seven-time Olympic medallist was solid during her other rotations, including executing several toe-on full pirouette to full-twisting double back dismounts on the uneven bars. As the training wrapped up, Biles tumbled on the rod floor working on her Biles I (double layout half out).

Other major contenders taking part in the camp include 2023 World team gold medallists Shilese Jones, Joscelyn Roberson and Skye Blakely.

The first major competition of the U.S. elite season, the Winter Cup, is set for 23-25 February in Louisville, Kentucky.