A national champion will be crowned this weekend, and for the first time in a while, we don’t know who it will be.
Obviously, the Xfinity U.S. National Gymnastics Championships are this weekend, but the women do not start competing until after my deadline, so we’ll recap next week.
I do think this championship has the potential to be incredibly exciting this year because, for the first time in several years, we are lacking clear favorites for the title or even the podium, and even event titles could bring big surprises.
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We’re seeing many gymnasts coming back to competition following the Olympic year. Most notable, of course, is Hezly Rivera, Olympic team gold medalist. Rivera has struggled in her early-season meets a bit and appears to be going through a growth spurt. It will be interesting to see if she was just saving it all up for championships and a push through to world’s selection, or if her gymnastics is going through a bigger shift.
Paris alternates Joscelyn Roberson, Leanne Wong, and Tiana Sumanasakera are back as well. Roberson returns from her freshman year at Arkansas ready to storm the elite castle; her power tumbling is now balanced by a bit more consistency and cleanliness. Wong has graduated from Florida, will begin graduate school there, bought a(nother) house, landed a student coach gig with the Gators, and now returns to elite to combat the perception that she’s always the bridesmaid and never the bride when it comes to top international team selection. Sumanasakera suffered an ankle injury at Pan Ams, and we have not seen her back at full capacity, but the UCLA commit has an enormous amount of elite potential still, and I’m hoping she unleashes it here.
Perhaps the most highly anticipated return this year is that of Skye Blakely, who heartbreakingly tore her Achilles during warmups at Olympic Trials, where she had been considered a near-lock for the Paris team. If Blakely’s bars and beam are back in fighting shape, she will stand a good chance when it comes time to choose that world’s team. But I’m just so happy to see her back a year after what must have been crushing disappointment (to say nothing of physical pain).
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Finally, a question mark for selection committees this year is how to deal with specialists, as world’s this year has no team event. In particular, Reese Esponda, with a floor routine packed with difficult tumbling, should get a shot at selection camp if she shows up at nationals. Blakely, who will only do bars and beam in New Orleans, is another wild card.
We’ll know a bit more when this comes out about how the athletes mentioned here are looking and who’s on track to make the national team and/or the podium in New Orleans on Sunday. Looking forward to discussing more next week!
Other gym news
College Gym News editors remember leotards that made a big splash (for good or for evil). It’s a fun read. There’s also a data dive on whether Jade Carey is the best athlete in the NCAA to never win a national championship title.
Spencer at the Balance Beam Situation has a roundup of the World University Games medalists for you.
And Lauren at The Gymternet has the German championships results.
NBC has extended its contract with USAG for Olympic coverage through 2032. The contract includes provisions for a world’s team selection show!
Five at The IX: Skye Blakeley
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| Skye Blakely of WOGA Gymnastics performs on balance beam during day one of the women’s 2024 Xfinity U.S. Gymnastics Championships at Dickies Arena, Fort Worth, Texas, on May 31, 2024. (Photo Credit: Jerome Miron | USA TODAY Sports) |
Skye Blakely did an interview with NBC in advance of the U.S. championships. It’s a good one.
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