Fast Day 1 recap
Day 1 of girls’s competitors on the USA Gymnastics Olympic Trials is over – fortunately.
Tonight began just like the worst rollercoaster you’ve ever been on:
- Shilese Jones landed bizarre on her vault in warmups, grabbing at her knee and calling her standing into query earlier than doing a stellar bars set (14.675) and scratching each different occasion.
- Kayla DiCello balked on her vault within the first rotation, grabbed at her proper ankle, and was taken off the ground in a wheelchair with tears in her eyes. USA Gymnastics confirmed later Friday night that it’s a proper Achilles harm and he or she has withdrawn from Olympic Trials, which means she’s out of competition for Paris 2024.
- Instantly after one in all her greatest buddies, DiCello, went down on vault, Sunisa Lee was up. Her hand slipped on her double-twisting Yurchenko, giving everybody within the area a coronary heart assault, however one way or the other she received it round and was positive.
Issues settled after a horrible half-hour or so inside Goal Middle, however these half-hour modified the make-up of this group once more after Skye Blakely was injured two days in the past.
Jones is being assessed and her standing is unknown right now. Because it stands, she’s a tentative perhaps for Sunday. In consequence, group eventualities must be thought-about with and with out Jones.
Fortunately for the choice committee, the remaining 4 members of the group appear to have solidified their spots after Day 1 of competitors, barring one thing else sudden taking place.
These 4 are the 4 Olympians within the subject, who completed prime 4 within the all-around: Simone Biles (58.900), Jordan Chiles (56.400), Sunisa Lee (56.025), and Jade Carey (55.825).
Biles, Chiles, and Carey all did two robust vaults that ranged from 14.325-15.975 (sure, for the Yurchenko double pike), displaying the group is lots safe on that occasion, particularly with Carey’s new Amanar improve.
Biles, Lee, and Chiles all put up scores of 14.3+ on bars.
Lee was the one athlete within the subject to place up a 14+ on beam, going 14.400 after Biles made a serious mistake on her mount – not a priority when she’s been so constant on that occasion, only a fluke. Chiles and Carey have been strong as effectively, going 13.625 and 13.575, respectively.
Biles didn’t deliver her greatest to flooring with an out of bounds and another small error, “solely” placing up a 14.850. Chiles and Carey have been lights out with their units, going 14.100 and 14.075, respectively, and Lee debuted the brand new flooring routine she’s been engaged on, full with a full-twisting double format to open for a 13.700 and room to enhance.
Regardless of the panorama altering drastically, the query is as soon as once more: who takes the fifth and closing spot?
If Jones is ok and competes all-around Sunday, then it appears logical she’ll go. If she’s restricted to simply bars, the committee can have a tough choice to make. If she will be able to’t compete, then the spot falls to one of many following: Joscelyn Roberson, Kaliya Lincoln, Hezly Rivera, Leanne Wong, or Tiana Sumanasekera, listed by all-around rank order after the highest 4.
Roberson had a superb Day 1, doing a strong Cheng and excellent units on beam (13.925) and flooring (13.925). After getting injured at Worlds final fall, Roberson has slowly been working her manner again and appears the perfect she has since Antwerp.
Kaliya Lincoln had one in all her greatest all-around performances up to now, placing up a 14.150 to complete second behind Biles on flooring and hitting her remaining three routines, together with a caught double pike on beam (13.050).
Hezly Rivera had a very good, not nice, evening. She missed out on essential tenths on bars and beam – her greatest occasions – resulting from minor errors. Nonetheless, she went 14.025 on bars and has loads of room to enhance after hitting all 4 tonight. She must deliver her A-game Sunday.
Leanne Wong’s evening began nice on vault, the place she debuted her Cheng for a 14.450 and went 13.925 for a clean bars set. Beam and flooring noticed minor errors, once more dropping essential tenths. She additionally didn’t put in her double Arabian improve for her third flooring go. With 0.725 separating her and Roberson, she’s absolutely able to closing that hole and ending because the fifth greatest all-arounder Sunday, probably making the committee’s choice simpler.
Tiana Sumanasekera was the second greatest beam employee at present behind Lee (13.950) and put up a 13.875 on flooring. Her bars are the crux of the difficulty, the place she scored a 12.725.
With the 4 beforehand talked about, the largest want might be beam, however actually, you might take these 4 and be okay. That in thoughts, the fifth spot ideally goes to a very good all-arounder who can fill in on all 4 and is especially robust on beam. Is that Roberson? Wong or Rivera once they don’t make errors?
Sunday’s performances would be the deciding issue, and even then, it’s an unenviable choice to make.
