USA Olympic gymnastics qualifying, explained: How Simone Biles, others can make team for Paris 2024

Many thought the 2021 Tokyo Olympics would be the last we saw of Simone Biles on the biggest stage of international gymnastics. Instead, she's returning for another go at gold in 2024.

Of course, before Biles can compete for more Olympic gold medals, she has to qualify to make Team USA. She is considered a shoo-in to make the squad — especially after she won the 2024 Core Hydration Classic by nearly two points and swept the U.S. Gymnastics Championships — but she still has to go through the qualifying process to lock in a spot on the five-woman team.

Qualifying will be a bit different in 2024 than it was three years ago. Team USA will have just five team spots available compared to the six it had last year with four team spots and two individuals, so its decision-makers will face a tough task in whittling down a crowded, talented field to five.

But how exactly does Olympic qualifying work? Here's a look at how qualifying will runs through U.S. Gymnastics Championships and 2024 U.S. Olympic trials.

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How does USA Olympic gymnastics qualifying work?

Making it to the Olympics is a rigorous process. Prospective Team USA gymnasts must first qualify for the 2024 U.S. Gymnastics Championships — which run from May 30 to June 2 — to draw consideration for the Olympic team.

2024 U.S. Gymnastics Championships

There are several ways gymnasts can achieve this, per Inside Gymnastics Magazine. One is to have been a member, or a replacement athlete, on the 2023 World Championships team. The other is to have scored 51.00 or better in one of the following events:

• 2023 post US Championships Selected National Team Training Camp (full routines on competition surfaces)
• 2024 Selected National Team Training Camp (full routines on competition surfaces)
• 2024 Winter Cup
• 2024 Classic Meet
• 2024 National Team International Assignment 

Athletes only participating in two or three events at the U.S. Championships must have a combined score of 39.00 (three-event total) or 26.40 (two-event total) to qualify. Those scores must be from one of the following competitions:

• 2023 post US Championships Selected National Team Training Camp (full routines on competition surfaces)
• 2024 Selected National Team Training Camp (full routines on competition surfaces)

Petitioning athletes can also draw consideration for the U.S. Championships, per Inside Gymnastics Magazine.

Once a gymnast participates in the U.S. Championships, she is eligible to be selected for the 2024 Olympic Trials.

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2024 U.S. Olympic Trials

The U.S. Olympic Trials will be held from June 27-30. The top two senior all-around athletes from the 2024 U.S. Championships will automatically be selected for the trials while at least 10 more from the competition (and petitioned athletes) will also be invited; the Athlete Selection Committee can invite more if it so desires.

For context, 17 gymnasts were invited to the U.S. Olympic Trials ahead of the 2021 Tokyo Games. A total of 28 senior-level gymnasts participated in the U.S. Championships that year.

This year, 16 gymnasts were invited to the U.S. Olympic Trials.

The U.S. Olympic Trials will last two days, and the athlete with the highest all-around score among competitors will automatically qualify for the Olympics. The Athlete Selection Committee will choose the remaining four members of the team.

This process won't be as simple as picking the five top-scoring gymnasts from the event; the Athlete Selection Committee will consider a variety of factors as it makes its choices and will notably try to diversify Team USA to give it strong competitors in all four of the women's gymnastics events (floor, vault, uneven bars and the beam).

Below is a look at the specific considerations as outlined and listed in no particular order by USA Gymnastics:

• Results from events over the last year, including the 2024 Winter Cup, 2024 American Classic, 2024 U.S. Classic, 2024 U.S. Gymnastics Championships and the 2024 Olympic Trials.
• Difficulty scores (D scores)
• Execution scores (E scores)
• Consistency (defined as "percentage of hit routines at any official international assignment or national event during the 2023-2024 competitive season")
• Composite strength of all the Olympic Team members with consideration of potential for Team, All Around and Individual Event medals.
• World Class presentation — the strength, endurance, technical execution standard and artistic components commensurate with World and Olympic presentation.
• Readiness to compete
• Physical capability

All that's to say that the selection process will be subjective — outside of the U.S. Champion making the team.

Still, it's worth noting that USA Gymnastics took the top five all-around scorers from the 2021 Olympics Trials to Tokyo — four as team members and the fifth as an alternate. Unless the team is desperate for a specialist in a certain event, it's hard to imagine the decision-makers deviating significantly from that strategy.

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How many gymnasts automatically qualify for the Olympics?

As mentioned, just one gymnast — the all-around champion at the Team USA Olympic Trials — will automatically qualify for the 2024 Olympics. USA Gymnastics' Athlete Selection Committee will select the other four members of Team USA for Paris.

2024 U.S. Gymnastics Championships participants

In total, 41 senior women will participate in the 2024 U.S. Gymnastics Championships. They are as follows:

Three-time Olympic gold medalist Gabby Douglas — who won the all-around gold at the 2012 London Olympics — was also invited to the championships. She was forced to withdraw after suffering an ankle injury leading up to the event. That will prevent her from making it back to the Olympics after an eight-year hiatus.

2024 U.S. Olympic Trials participants

A total of 16 senior women were invited to the U.S. Olympic Trials. Only 15 will participate in the event, however, as Skye Blakely was forced to withdraw after suffering an Achilles injury in training.

Below is a look at the invitees:

* Blakely withdrew from the competition as a result of an Achilles injury.