Current:Home > MarketsReigning Olympic champ Suni Lee headlines USA Gymnastics Winter Cup. What to know -AssetBase
Reigning Olympic champ Suni Lee headlines USA Gymnastics Winter Cup. What to know
View
Date:2025-04-27 11:56:25
Suni Lee is back in the spotlight.
The reigning Olympic all-around champion returns to competition at this weekend's Winter Cup for the first time since last year's national championships. Lee had to skip the world team selection camp last fall because of a kidney condition that limited her training. She's only been able to train full time for about a month, longtime coach Jess Graba told Olympics.com.
The Paris Games are still a long way off. But Lee is one of the world's most captivating gymnasts when she's healthy, and Winter Cup is the first chance to see what kind of form she's in. Here’s all you need to know:
What is the Winter Cup? Why does it matter?
Winter Cup serves as both a qualifier for the national championships and, for the men, a selection meet for the national team. The U.S. championships are the first step in the Olympic selection process. There are a few exceptions, but you have to compete at nationals in order to get a spot at Olympic trials.
Is Simone Biles competing in the Winter Cup?
Simone Biles won't be competing at Winter Cup. She's already qualified for this year's national championships as a member of the team for last year's world championships, where Biles won, well, just about everything.
OPINION:Simone Biles wins something more important than medals at world championships
After leading the U.S. women to the team gold, Biles won her sixth all-around title and golds on floor exercise and balance beam. She also was the silver medalist on vault. The five medals give her 37 at the world championships and Olympics, making her the most-decorated gymnast of all time, male or female. Biles is likely to begin her competitive season in mid-May, at the U.S. Classic.
What happened to Gabby Douglas?
Gabby Douglas, the 2012 Olympic champion, was to return to competition for the first time in almost eight years at Winter Cup. But she announced Thursday afternoon that she's tested positive for COVID and won't be able to compete.
"I was so excited to get back out on the competition floor, but unfortunately, I just tested positive for COVID :(," Douglas wrote in part in an Instagram post. "... I'm crushed but I'll see you guys soon!"
More:Gabby Douglas, who hasn't competed since Rio Olympics, out of Winter Cup with COVID
In order to compete at nationals, Douglas still has options. She can go to a selection camp April 1-4. She also could do the American Classic, April 25-28, or the U.S. Classic, May 17-19.
How can I watch the Winter Cup 2024?
All events can be watched on USA Gymnastics' YouTube channel.
Winter Cup 2024 schedule
The women’s competition is Saturday, from 1 to 3:30 p.m. ET. The first day of the men’s meet is Friday, from 1:30 to 4 p.m., and it wraps up Sunday, from 5:30 to 8 p.m. The complete schedule, including junior events, is here.
Winter Cup gymnastics lineup: Who to keep an eye on
Lee's presence gives Winter Cup some serious star power. She's the reigning Olympic champion, and dazzled during her NCAA career at Auburn. Skye Blakely, a member of the United States’ gold medal-winning team at the last two world championships, also plans to compete. So does Kayla DiCello, the all-around champion at the Pan American Games last fall.
Katelyn Jong and Tiana Sumanasekera, who were in the top 10 at last year’s national championships, are in the field, as is Hezly Rivera, last year’s U.S. junior champion.
For the men, all eyes will be on Brody Malone, the two-time U.S. champion who has not competed since injuring his knee on high bar during the DTB Pokal Team Challenge in March 2023. Malone tore his meniscus and two ligaments, and also had a tibial plateau fracture.
Malone will only do pommel horse, still rings, parallel bars and high bar at Winter Cup as he works his way back to full fitness. But he says he plans to do all six events at nationals and Olympic trials.
"It feels pretty good, so the plan is to be back doing floor and vault by (nationals)," Malone said Thursday. "That's the goal."
What is the Winter Cup format? How does it work?
For the senior women, Winter Cup is a one-day meet on Saturday afternoon. Gymnasts can choose to do the all-around, or compete on two or three events. Lee plans to do uneven bars and beam, and she'll need to score 26.40 or higher to qualify for nationals, which are May 30 to June 2 in Fort Worth, Texas.
For the senior men, Winter Cup is a two-day competition, on Friday and Sunday. A national team will be named at the end of the event, and those gymnasts are qualified for the U.S. championships. There’s also a points list that will be updated after Winter Cup, but it’s confusing and, with several other events between now and nationals, is best not worried about until later.
For both the men and the women, results at Winter Cup also will help determine assignments for international meets this spring.
What else to watch this weekend? The Nastia Liukin Cup
There are also three lower-level meets. There’s a Winter Cup for the junior women, an Elite Team Cup for junior men, and the Nastia Liukin Cup for Level-10 gymnasts, which is the last level before they go elite.
veryGood! (7498)
Related
- Off the Grid: Sally breaks down USA TODAY's daily crossword puzzle, Triathlon
- Michigan woman’s handpicked numbers win $1M on Powerball. She found out on Facebook.
- Paul Alexander, Who Spent 70 Years in an Iron Lung, Dead at 78
- When is Selection Sunday for women’s March Madness? When brackets will be released.
- Paula Abdul settles lawsuit with former 'So You Think You Can Dance' co
- Oklahoma teen Nex Benedict’s cause of death revealed in autopsy report
- DeSantis orders Florida resources to stop any increase in Haitian migrants fleeing violence
- Calvin Ridley surprises by signing with Titans on massive four-year contract, per reports
- Questlove charts 50 years of SNL musical hits (and misses)
- South Dakota prosecutors to seek death penalty for man charged with killing deputy during a pursuit
Ranking
- Stamford Road collision sends motorcyclist flying; driver arrested
- More women's basketball coaches are making at least $1M annually, but some say not enough
- Jury begins deliberating manslaughter case against Connecticut trooper who killed man in stolen car
- Kentucky should reconsider using psychedelics to treat opioid addiction, attorney general says
- Which apps offer encrypted messaging? How to switch and what to know after feds’ warning
- Appeals court overturns convictions of former Georgia officer who fatally shot naked man
- Royal insider says Princess Kate photo scandal shows wheels are coming off Kensington Palace PR
- HIV prevention drugs known as PrEP are highly effective, but many at risk don't know about them
Recommendation
The company planning a successor to Concorde makes its first supersonic test
Dorie Ann Ladner, civil rights activist who fought for justice in Mississippi and beyond, dies at 81
After a pregnant New York teacher collapses in classroom and dies, community mourns
Mel B alleges abusive marriage left her with nothing, was forced to move in with her mom
Alex Murdaugh’s murder appeal cites biased clerk and prejudicial evidence
500 pounds of pure snake: Massive python nest snagged in Southwest Florida
How to Deep Clean Every Part of Your Bed: Mattress, Sheets, Pillows & More
Brittany Cartwright Gets Candid About Scary Doubts She Had Before Jax Taylor Separation