The United States women’s gymnastics team going for gold in Tokyo became official Sunday night.
As the final day of competition at the U.S. Olympic trials wrapped up, the team began to take shape. Simone Biles was always considered a lock, but who would join her was up for debate. With four team spots and two individual spots, the selection committee had several choices to make.
Here is the team the U.S. will be taking to Tokyo:
Memories that will last forever. 💫
— USA Gymnastics (@USAGym) June 28, 2021
Congratulations to the women who have earned a spot on @TeamUSA for the Tokyo Olympic Games!
🇺🇸 Simone Biles
🇺🇸 Jordan Chiles
🇺🇸 Suni Lee
🇺🇸 Grace McCallum
🇺🇸 Jade Carey
🇺🇸 MyKayla Skinner pic.twitter.com/lTtbsNPQxf
Simone Biles: Biles had an uncharacteristic night on Sunday, making little mistakes and even falling off of the balance beam — reminding us that the star gymnast is human. In the end, it’s better for her to get those mistakes out now rather than at the Olympics. Biles still posted the highest all-around score over the two days despite not performing her best. She hasn’t lost an all-around competition of any kind since 2013 and will look to cement her legacy in Tokyo.
Sunisa “Suni” Lee: The second-place finisher behind Biles at the Olympic trials, Lee is a master on the uneven bars. She recovered from an ankle injury to take first in the event at the U.S. nationals a few weeks ago and did so again at the Olympic trials. Her all-around total on Sunday surpassed Biles’ and led the field. Lee will likely be a medal contender in both the uneven bars and the beam.
Jordan Chiles: Where Lee is somewhat of an event specialist, Chiles is versatile and has only improved since moving to Texas to train with Biles. While Biles and Lee topped the 20-year-old at nationals and the Olympic trials, Chiles has completed every routine this year without a major mistake.
Grace McCallum: The point differential between Grace McCallum and MyKayla Skinner was slim at .300. Although Skinner had a better vault than McCallum, which could score Team USA more points in the team competition, U.S. high performance coordinator Tom Forester said the selection committee wanted to preserve the “integrity of competition.” So, the two-time world champion was named to the fourth and final spot on the team, coming back from hand surgery to avoid any major mistakes that would’ve taken her out of the running.
Jade Carey: The first gymnast to officially qualify for the Olympic team, Carey earned the first of two individual spots through FIG World Cup qualification. The 21-year-old is a four-time world champion medalist who specializes in floor and vault. While her all-around scores have improved and she could have tried to qualify for the team, Carey opted to take the individual spot she’d earned.
MyKayla Skinner: This team is filled with amazing stories, and Skinner’s is certainly one of them. An alternate on the 2016 Olympic team, the 24-year-old decided that she wasn’t satisfied and wanted to make one more run at the Games. Skinner had two strong performances over the weekend to secure her spot in Tokyo as the second individual. Her best event is the vault, where she placed second at trials behind Simone Biles. Look out for Skinner as a vault medal contender in Tokyo.