Simone Biles leads Day 1 of the U.S. Olympic Gymnastics Trials as injuries rock Team USA
Simone Biles is four routines away from making her third Olympic team.
She led her Olympic and club teammate Jordan Chiles by 2.5 points after the first day of the women’s competition at the Olympic trials. Reigning Olympic all-around champion Suni Lee rounded out the top three.
The women’s gymnastics team competing in Paris will be named on Sunday, but the selection committee will have to go back to the drawing board after three front-runners were injured in the lead-up to Friday’s competition.
How do team scores work in gymnastics?
In the qualification round at the Olympics, four gymnasts from each five-member team compete on each apparatus, with the three highest scores counting toward the team total.
The top eight teams in qualifications advance to the finals, where three athletes from each team compete on each apparatus and all scores count.
Differences in competitions between men and women
The five-member men’s Olympic team will compete on six apparatuses in Paris, while the women will compete on four. The top all-around finisher in the women’s competition automatically makes the team, but the men will be required to finish first in the all-around and in the top three on at least three events.
No male gymnast did that at the U.S. Championships in Fort Worth, Texas, but Richard did Thursday. If he repeats that Saturday, he won’t need the selection committee to decide his fate.
The selection committee will consider the top team-scoring scenarios using both days of trials, as well as the U.S. Championships.
Men hope to return to the podium in Paris
The U.S. is eyeing its first Olympic medal in men’s gymnastics since 2008 this summer. By the end of today, a five-member team will be selected to go to Paris from one of the most talented pools of American gymnasts in years.
