Race to join Simone Biles at Paris 2024 heats up: Skye Blakely soars, Shilese Jones battles, Suni Lee returns to all-around

Seven-time Olympic gymnastics medallist Simone Biles is now just two days of competition away from a third Olympic team berth after a dominating performance at the U.S. Gymnastics Championships last week (2 June) in Ft. Worth, Texas.

The 27-year-old is a lock – barring any unforeseen circumstances* – for the U.S. squad that will be named 30 June at the U.S. Olympic Team Trials in Minneapolis. The last American woman to compete at three Games in gymnastics was Dominique Dawes in 1992, 1996 and 2000.

Biles’ return trip to the Games will come three years after having to withdraw from the women’s team final and four subsequent individual finals at Tokyo 2020, as she prioritised her mental health while she dealt with what gymnasts call "the twisties," where the body and mind fall of sync.

Following those Games, Biles took a yearlong break from competition, returning in 2023 with a new focus on putting her mental health first. It paid off with a record-setting sixth World all-around win last October in Antwerp.

In her two competitive outings in 2024, Biles has looked better than ever. In Ft. Worth, she broke the 60.000 mark in the all-around for the first time since the 2021 season.

With three-and-a-half weeks until the start of the U.S. Olympic trials, here’s a look at the state of the race to join Biles on Team USA in the French capital.

• 'She's taking charge of her own gymnastics:' Shilese Jones plans path to peak for debut Olympic berth
• Simone Biles, Shilese Jones and Suni Lee take next steps toward Paris 2024 at U.S. Championships

*As National Olympic Committees have the exclusive authority for the representation of their respective countries at the Olympic Games, athletes' participation at the Paris Games depends on their NOC selecting them to represent their delegation at Paris 2024.

Can Shilese Jones return to form in time?

2022 and 2023 world all-around medallist Shilese Jones seemed like as close to a lock as anyone not named Biles following an impressive season debut two weeks ago at the U.S. Classic, where she finished runner-up.

But after her performance there, an old shoulder injury flared up.

“Right after I got off the floor [at Classic], I didn't hear a click, I didn't hear any pops, nothing major. I was just like, ‘Oh, my shoulder's a little sore.’ And, then, I was like, ‘No, it's really sore,’” Jones explained in Ft. Worth. “Friday [24 May] I barely could raise my arm.”

Jones withdrew from competition at U.S. Championships in order to rest and recuperate. She successfully petitioned to compete at the trials.

“If this had been Olympic trials, we would have competed this weekend. Her shoulder hurts but it is structurally sound,” Jones’ coach Sarah Korngold told the podcast GymCastic. “[The doctors] said, ‘You could go,’ [but] we just felt like the ramifications of pushing through that much inflammation this weekend might have led to longer term consequences that we didn’t want to deal with all summer.

“She was mad, but we decided not to do it,” Korngold continued. “That was the right decision. We are excited to train and feel better for trials and hopefully Paris.”

Skye Blakely’s silver medal rockets her into contention

In Jones’ absence, 19-year-old Skye Blakely was second to Biles at nationals, using a brand-new vault – that scored as high as 15.000 – to post impressive totals that could push Jones in Minneapolis.

Blakely's vault score alone is enough to be valuable for Team USA in Paris, but the teen can also contribute almost anywhere, hitting as high as 14.450 on both the uneven bars and balance beam.

If Blakely was on the bubble after the U.S. Classic, where she finished fifth all-around after a fall off the uneven bars, she now finds herself firmly in the conversation for Paris.

All that stands between her and the Olympic Games is a repeat performance at the trials.

Tokyo champ Suni Lee proves her mettle

At the U.S. Championships, reigning Olympic all-around champion Suni Lee competed her first all-around competition in elite gymnastics since taking gold at Tokyo in 2021.

She’s spent the last 15 months rebuilding her form and finding health after a kidney-related health issue ended her collegiate season early and held her out of international competition for Team USA in 2023.

In Fort Worth, Lee was spectacular on the balance beam, working with grace and confidence to earn a 14.900 on the second day of competition – the highest mark on the event.

She also showed Olympic-worthy routines on the uneven bars, despite not yet competing full difficulty on the apparatus.

“I think we're trying to add just the Nabieva Pak full into it,” Lee said of her plans for the event at upcoming competitions. “So, if I can keep it clean, then I can get like a high 14, and I think I'll be in a good spot.”

A good spot indeed – a high 14 score on the uneven bars would have topped the standings in Ft. Worth where Biles’ 14.650 and 14.400 combined for the title.

The battle for the final spot

With Biles, Jones, Blakely and Lee looking to be likely contenders for Team USA in Paris, the battle for the final spot promises to be intense in Minneapolis.

Officials will be looking for the complement to those four, filling in any weakness across the four events for the three-up, three-count medal round. For Team USA this season, that could be mean whomever can provide the biggest boost on the floor exercise.

2021 world all-around bronze medallist and Tokyo 2020 alternate Kayla DiCello has had an up-and-down season. She was brilliant at the Winter Cup in February, but then had two major errors at the U.S. Classic.

In Ft. Worth, DiCello was solid on night one, but struggled on the uneven bars on night two, falling and adding an extra swing. She was second on the floor exercise across the two nights of competition in Ft. Worth.

If floor exercise does end up the determining factor for the final spot, that gives the reigning Olympic champion on the event, Jade Carey, a chance at a return trip. She’s finished fifth and fourth on the event at the U.S. Classic and U.S. championships, respectively.

Her Tokyo teammate Jordan Chiles, a team silver medallist, scored 14.100 on the event night two, the highest of the competition other than Biles, boosting her chances as well.

The only other woman to break 14 points on the event was 2023 world team member Joscelyn Roberson, who earned a 14.000 on the event Sunday (2 June).

One other floor worker to keep an eye on is Kaliya Lincoln, the 2023 Pan Am Games gold medallist on floor. She withdrew from the U.S. championships after tweaking her ankle during practice but was named to the trials.

Last month, she, too, earned a 14.000 on floor at the U.S. Classic.