[ad_1]
Louisville, Kentucky (WAVE) – It was a big weekend for USA Gymnastics in Louisville as hundreds of athletes and fans packed into the Kentucky International Convention Center for the 2024 Winter Cup.
This weekend marked the beginning of the competitive season for many elite gymnasts across the United States. As excitement builds in the final stages of the run-up to the 2024 Paris Olympics, it had the potential to showcase the talents of some of the most established and up-and-coming athletes in both men’s and women’s gymnastics.
“The Winter Cup and today’s event are all about getting the season off to a good start,” said USA Gymnastics spokeswoman Jill Geer. “These athletes have been working on some skills and some upgrades and are kicking off this Olympic year in earnest in front of a huge crowd.”
For Kayla DiCello, the reigning individual all-around champion at the 2023 Pan American Games, this Olympic year will feel different than her run with Team USA in 2021.
“All the experience has been very helpful. It builds up my confidence and really helps me trust myself and trust the skills that I’m showing,” DiCello explained.
Her confidence was evident during Saturday’s competition. DiCello said her continued focus on her own skills rather than her score led to her great accomplishments. She placed first in the senior women’s all-around competition and topped the leaderboards in nearly every category.
Skye Blakely overcame her setbacks, overcame a tough start on bars and performed well in every event thereafter.
“The fall doesn’t change what happens in the next three tournaments,” Blakely said. “So I said, ‘It’s not going to be the usual, but I’m ready to go kill Beam.'”
Blakely finished second overall, followed by teammate Hesley Rivera, who took third place on the podium.
Also earning a podium spot was University of Florida gymnast Trinity Thomas, who placed fourth, and Darci Keillor, who finished in the top five.
“I think the unknown will be Trinity because she competed in college. Sub-elite, level 10,” Geer said. “So she came back and showed she still got it.”
Thomas left no doubt that she could still compete with elite quality.
A further unknown competing in Saturday’s competition was Olympic silver medalist Suni Lee from the 2021 Tokyo Games. Lee has had to overcome health issues in recent months. Adding to the stress of the situation, Lee was usually trying out a new set of skills on uneven bars, one of her strongest events.
However, she was unable to overcome an early fall on the horizontal bars and ran the rest of her routine in that event feeling anxious before falling again on beam.
“I hadn’t been that bad in a long time, so I didn’t know if I wanted to switch gears,” Lee said. “But it takes more practice and more competition.”
“Suni looked great in camp, and she looked great in training here at Kentucky as well. So she really needs a little more time,” Geer said. “You know, in gymnastics, they say it’s very different when your hands go up, when you salute to start the routine. So she coped well with adversity,” she told reporters. She signed it. So she’s pretty much just mad at herself.”
Lee wasn’t the only former Olympian to struggle at the Winter Cup. Gabby Douglas was scheduled to return to elite competition, but he was forced to withdraw after contracting COVID-19.
The 2024 Winter Cup is a qualifying event for the USA Gymnastics Championships. The competition culminates in the Olympic Trials, which determine the members of the team that will participate in the Paris Games.
“It’s going to be interesting. We might have three Olympic gold medalists in the individual all-around trying to make the women’s team, and we have some great young talent,” Geer explained. “So this is one of the most exciting times ever for USA Gymnastics.”
Copyright 2024 WAVE. All rights reserved.
[ad_2]
Source link
