A historical milestone in the world of women’s gymnastics was achieved on the evening of Saturday, May 18, when three Olympic all-around champions were slated to compete in the same meet for the first time ever.
At the Core Hydration Classic in Hartford, Connecticut, Gabby Douglas, Simone Biles and Suni Lee all made a comeback to gymnastics in an effort to be selected to once again compete for the United States, this time at the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris.
For those who are not followers of the sport, a gymnast’s career is typically shorter than that of other athletes because of the toll the years of training and competing takes on their body. Most Olympic gymnasts compete in only one Olympic Games and very few make an appearance in a second. The Core Hydration Classic was a significant competition in the gymnastics world as three Olympic champions from three different Olympics Games were seen competing in the same arena.
Douglas claimed her Olympic all-around gold medal at the London 2012 Olympics when she was just 16 years old. She also won gold in the team competition at the Rio 2016 Olympics and the 2012 Games. Now, at 28-years- old, Douglas has returned to compete for what would be her third Olympic Games.
Unfortunately, at the Core Hydration Classic, Douglas fell twice while competing on uneven bars, her first event of the four. This led her to withdraw from the remainder of the competition, most likely due to safety concerns. Although this was not the performance she had hoped for, Douglas was looking forward to having a chance at redemption later this month in the US Championships. However, Douglas recently announced her withdrawal from the US Championships, citing an ankle injury sustained in training as her reason. This ends Douglas’ Olympic hopes for Paris 2024, but she has yet to announce her official retirement from the sport.
Biles has been a dominant force in the sport for over 10 years now, winning her Olympic all-around title at the Rio 2016 Games. She was also a member of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic team and has brought home a total of seven medals between the two Games.
Often referred to as the “greatest of all time” in women’s gymnastics, Biles is now vying for a spot on what would be her third Olympic team. At the recent Core Hydration Classic, Biles claimed the all-around and floor titles, proving that she remains the best in competition and is ready to represent the United States at the Olympics once again.
At 21-years-old, Lee is the youngest of these three champions that have made a post-Olympic comeback in gymnastics. Lee earned her all-around Olympic title at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, where she also took home a silver medal in the team competition and a bronze medal on the uneven bars. Lee then competed for Auburn over two seasons, before returning to elite gymnastics and turning her focus to the Paris 2024 Olympics.
At the Core Hydration Classic, Lee competed in three of the four events: vault, balance beam and floor exercise. She earned first place on the balance beam and qualified for the upcoming U.S. Championships, where she will continue to prove that she deserves a spot on the next Olympic team.
The Olympic Trials are set to take place at the end of June. The U.S. has many strong contenders that the selection committee will have to choose between. Among these contenders are two additional Olympians: Jade Carey and Jordan Chiles. They were part of the Tokyo 2020 team and are both now in the running to be selected for their second Olympic Team.
The U.S. has presented medal-winning teams in women’s gymnastics for many years, and whichever five girls are selected for Paris 2024 will undoubtedly aim to continue building on this success.