By Jennifer Roback
Staring on July 23, 2021, the Tokyo Olympics will start and American is sending the best of the best to represent our country.
On Sunday June 27, the U.S. Olympic team trials for gymnastics were held and they determined the six women who will represent the United Stated starting next month.
Simone Biles
Simone Biles, 24, is a Columbus Ohio native who has been representing the United States for years. With a combined total of 30 Olympic and World Championship medals, she is known as the most decorated American gymnast.
Biles has been training and competing hard to get ready for the Olympics. Back in May, she became the first woman to land a Yurchenko double pike vault in a competition. A few weeks later, she then secured her seventh women's all-around title at the US Gymnastics Championship.
“I just want to say thank you from the bottom of my heart,” Biles tweeted Monday morning following the qualification event. “This is just the beginning of the journey!”
Sunisa Lee
Sunisa, "Suni,"Lee, is an American gymnast from Saint Paul Minnesota. The 18-year-old is part of the NCAA Auburn Tigers gymnastics team and was a member of the 2019 team that won gold World Championships, and she also won silver on the floor exercise and bronze on the uneven bars at the same Championships.
In a rare turn of events, Lee beat Simone Biles on Sunday June 27, 2021 to help her get her ticket to the Olympics.
Lee is the first person to beat Biles in any phase of an all-around meet since 2013.
Jordan Chiles
Jordan Lucella Elizabeth Chiles, 20, is a Tualatin, Oregon native who has been a member of the United States women's national gymnastics team since 2013. Chiles is the 2018 Pacific Rim champion on vault and floor exercise.
Three years ago, Chiles almost gave up gymnastics, but after moving to Texas to train at the World Champions Centre, her new coaches Laurent and Cecile Landi, helped her find her passion again.
“Laurent and Cecile brought back the love of the sport for me – because it was gone,” she told NBC Sports after qualifying. “They’ve given my so much encouragement. I didn’t get that too much in the past. I just thank them all the time.
Grace McCallium
Grace McCallium, 18, is a Cambridge, Minnesota native. She will be attending the University of Utah in the Fall of 2021 and is a five-time member of the United States women's national gymnastics team.
“It is amazing,” McCallum said about earning her spot on the roster. “I can’t thank my friends and family enough for all of their support throughout the years.”
Jade Carey
21-year-old Jade Carey will be headed to the olympics as an individual, meaning that she will represent the U.S. at the games, but her scores will not be included in the team competition due to the roster being cut from five to four athletes at this year's event.
On vault, she is the 2017 and 2019 World silver medalist, the 2018 Pan American champion, and the 2017 United States national champion.
Carey is coming back from an ankle injury but opened up on Instagram about her Tokyo appearance saying that, “I have every intention to accept the individual spot that I worked very hard to earn.”
MyKayla Skinner
Mykalya Skinner will also be an individual at the Tokyo Olympics. The 24-year-old was the 2016 Olympic alternate on the Women's Gymnastics team and also competed at the 2014 World Championships where she contributed to the U.S. team's gold medal. That same event she won the individual bronze medal on vault and placed fourth on floor exercise.
Back in December 2020, Skinner was suffering from COVID-19 and was unsure on if she would be able to make it to Tokyo.
"I survived, but I wanted to give up so many times,"she told Hoda Kotb on the TODAY show that aired Monday June 28, 2021. "I was like, 'I don't even know if I can do this anymore.' But I feel like just having these girls and my family having my back through it all has really helped me to get to where I am today."