Jordan Chiles takes Winter Cup title as Laurie Hernandez returns and newcomers make 2021 debuts

2017 U.S. all-around silver medallist Jordan Chiles claimed the women's all-around title Saturday afternoon (27 February) at USA Gymnastics' Winter Cup in Indianapolis. The event is the first elite artistic gymnastics competition in the United States since March 2020.

"Being out here today was definitely different compared to all the years before," said Chiles, referencing the lack of spectators at the event which was not open to the public. "You can kind of tell that everybody had a little nerves here and there, considering it's been over a year and a half since we competed. But everything else, the equipment, the energy in the gym, although we didn't have a lot of people, but just from the girls cheering each other on, helped a lot."

Chiles posted a 57.050 total for the victory. Shilese Jones (55.100) finished second, followed by Emily Lee (53.400).

Team USA Olympic champion Laurie Hernandez performed on the balance beam and floor exercise in her first competitive appearance since winning gold and silver at the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio.

A breakthrough for Chiles

Chiles moved from her home in Washington state in 2019 after graduating high school to Houston, Texas, to train at World Champions Centre, home of Simone Biles and renowned coaches Laurent and Cecile Landi.

Biles has paid no small role in Chiles success in Indianapolis, she says.

Love of the sport is something she says she's rediscovered in Texas.

“Honestly, being coached by Cecile and Laurent, has helped with every single thing throughout my whole career,” said Chiles to media including Olympic Channel after her win. “I found the love of the sport. I found my mental and physical health back.”

Saturday, Chiles posted the highest score of the meet on three events (vault, balance beam, and floor exercise), in addition to her all-around win. But it was, perhaps, Chiles’ final skill of the night, an upgraded dismount off the balance beam that stole the show.

With the title on the line, Chiles threw for the first time in competition a full-twisting double back. She never considered holding back to ensure a win.

“I was going out there and doing it how I practiced everything,” Chiles said confidently. “The dismount was something that I was ready to compete.”

The win for Chiles also improves her hopes of qualifying to represent the American team at the Tokyo 2020 Games in 2021.

A first step for Hernandez

For Hernandez, competing at Winter Cup represents a first step in what she hopes will be a return trip to the Olympic Games.

"It was terrifying to initially go back out there," Hernandez said afterward. "I was really nervous, and then, I felt really excited and almost like calm and composed on the equipment, which is not something I felt when I was 16, so I really enjoyed today."

She has much to be proud of, including the fifth-best score on the balance beam, where she is the reigning Olympic silver medallist. Hernandez said her routine on Saturday was a watered down version of what she expects to compete in the coming months, when she will also add vault and uneven bars to her competition programme.

"We are training four events. It's not like we were only training two for this event. We decided, I'd say within the last week, that we were only going to do floor and beam for Winter Cup," explained Hernandez. "But I mean, you'll see them soon. And hopefully we get some new skills in there, too, which could be a lot of fun."

Still, the 20-year-old was solid, showing flashes of the brilliance that was on display four-and-a-half years ago in Rio. She says the event, which once made her incredibly nervous, has become a place of calm.

"There's just like a grounded feeling," said Hernandez. "Of course, you get nervous, but like I used to be really nervous like full breakdown, tears before beam, and now it's kind of like my safe space."

A chance to feel the nerves

Many of the athletes competing in Indianapolis had not entered a competitive event since late 2019, and used the event to get their feet wet in this Olympic season, competing in two or three events.

Two members of the 2019 World Championships team that won gold impressed: Suni Lee, who earned a massive 15.050 on the uneven bars, and Jade Carey whose 14.850 on vault was the second best score of the night on the event. Lee was also third on beam with a 14.250 despite completing a simple layout dismount.

Riley McCusker, who told Olympic Channel earlier this month that she’d found her love of the sport again after moving to train with Carey, also competed on three events highlighted by a 14.650 on the uneven bars.

Two athletes, Konnor McClain and Skye Blakely, made their senior debuts Saturday with both impressing on the balance beam with scores of 14.000 and 14.500, respectively.

It comes 24 hours after the men's competition, where Cameron Bock claimed a surprise win in the men's all-around and qualified to the senior U.S. national team.

Competition concludes on Sunday with the junior women and a second day of senior men's action.