Five Paris Olympics storylines to know from security to Simone Biles
The Paris Olympics are fast approaching. Here’s what you need to know about the first post-pandemic Games.
The U.S. gymnastics Olympic trials will formalize what has been a near-certainty for more than a year: That Simone Biles will make a third trip to the Summer Games and likely add to her Olympic medal haul. Beyond that, however, there is plenty of intrigue about how the rest of the team will come together − with world medalist Shilese Jones nursing a shoulder injury, reiging Olympic champion Sunisa Lee competing in her home state and a host of both veterans and newcomers vying for the few remaining tickets to Paris.
USA TODAY Sports’ Nancy Armour and Tom Schad will provide live updates, results and analysis throughout the gymnastics trials. Follow along.
When does Simone Biles compete at U.S. gymnastics Olympic trials?
Simone Biles is likely to compete her first rotation (uneven bars) shortly after 7:45 p.m. ET on Friday, then move in the order of events that is in place for Olympic competition − to balance beam, then floor exercise, then vault. On Sunday night, Biles will start on vault, with her first attempt around 8:20 p.m. ET. She will then go to uneven bars and balance beam before concluding on floor.
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U.S. gymnastics Olympic trials how to watch
The first session of men’s competition Thursday will be televised on USA Network, while the next three nights − including the decisive Saturday and Sunday sessions − will be on NBC. The network will also show every minute of all four nights on its streaming service, Peacock, where it will offer both a general stream and apparatus-specific streams for viewers who are hoping to monitor a specific athlete.
Why Simone Biles is ‘close to unstoppable’ as she just keeps getting better with age
Here Simone Biles is at 27 at the U.S. gymnastics Olympic trials, better now than anyone, ever, has ever been in her sport. “I use the phrase, ‘Aging like fine wine,’” she joked in early June, after she’d extended her own record with her ninth U.S. championship. Perhaps the biggest difference at this stage of her career is that Biles’ mind and body are in sync. Read Nancy Armour’s full story on Simone Biles.
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