Simone Biles is on her way to her third Olympics, leading a Team USA that includes several familiar faces.
Also on the team are Suni Lee, Jordan Chiles, and Jade Carey. Lee and Chiles were both part of the Olympic team three years ago, while Carey competed as an individual in Tokyo and won gold on the floor. The newest member of the team is teenager Hezly Rivera.
“This is definitely our redemption tour,” Biles said at the US Olympic Gymnastics Trials. “I feel like we all have more to give. I knew I wasn’t done after Tokyo. Getting back to the gym, trusting the process, I knew I’d be back.”
In Tokyo, Biles faced challenges due to the Twisties and spent much of the Olympics on the sidelines. Lee went on to win Olympic gold in the all-around, despite struggling with kidney disease in the past year. She expressed emotions about her journey and how she almost quit the sport multiple times.
Joscelyn Roberson and Leanne Wong were named alternates, while top contenders like Shilese Jones, Skye Blakely, and Kayla DiCello had to exit due to injuries.
At 27 years old, Biles is the oldest gymnast to represent Team USA since 1952. The team as a whole is the oldest to ever represent the US at the Olympics, with Carey (24), Chiles (23), and Lee (21) all over the age of 20.
This year’s squad, with Biles and Lee as the all-around champions, is the first ever to have two Olympic all-around champions competing together. They aim to improve upon their silver-medal team finish in 2021.
“Of course, gold is the goal,” Chiles said. “But this redemption tour is not about that. It’s about us. We all went through so much in Tokyo, and to be back, I’m so proud of all of us.”
While the goal is gold, Biles is taking things one step at a time, focusing on her journey and defining success on her own terms.
