The United States will head to the 2021 Olympics with a gymnastics team of Simone Biles and five women who’ll be new to the sport’s biggest stage. USA Gymnastics named its squad for Tokyo on Sunday night, amid spotlights and fireworks in St. Louis. Joining Biles at the Games will be Sunisa Lee, Jordan Chiles, Grace McCallum, Jade Carey and MyKayla Skinner.
Biles and Lee finished first and second at trials. A selection committee chose Chiles, the third-place finisher, and Grace McCallum, a narrow fourth, for the final two team spots. “It seemed appropriate to go in rank order,” said USA Gymnastics high-performance coordinator Tom Forster, who headed the committee. “So that’s what we did.”
Carey, who mathematically qualified last year, and Skinner, a committee pick, will compete as individuals. Riley McCusker, a bars specialist who starred on the first night of trials, missed the cut after a mistake on Sunday, the second and final night. Kayla DiCello, Kara Eaker, Emma Malabuyo and Leanne Wong will go to Tokyo as alternates.
The four-woman team will be favored, overwhelmingly, to win team gold next month. All six will then vie for individual medals, and could rival the 2016 Olympic team’s haul – because as a collective, they’re almost as balanced as an Olympic gymnastics team can be.
