As the sports world is gearing up for the Paris Olympics 2024, the USA gymnastics team is preparing to sweep the medals at the grand extravaganza. The team boasts Olympic and World Champions, like Simone Biles, Suni Lee, and Gabby Douglas leading from the front. While the hopes were high for the national team, the excitement further rose when a former Olympic gymnast visited the camp.
The camp began on 5 February at Gymnastics Sports Center in Texas in preparation for the Paris Olympics and 2024 World Artistic Games. And gearing Biles and Lee up was the 2004 All-round Olympic Champion, who is also an established singer.
Former Olympic Champion shares insights with Simone Biles and Team USA
As the USA’s women’s gymnastics team trained in Texas, they were greeted by American Hall of Famer gymnast Carly Patterson, who spread some positivity in the camp. Patterson was 16 at the 2004 Olympics where she won gold in the all round but 6 months before that, she was distracted all over the place. “Six months out from the Olympics, I was starting to get distracted by all the things that a 16-year-old would want to do“, then her coach sat down with her to calm things down.
Listening to her were 20 gymnasts including Olympic medalists Simone Biles, Suni Lee, and Gabby Douglas. As she narrated the motivating lines of her coach, shades of excitement emerged on the faces.
“He was like, ‘Hey, look, we got six months, like, what are your priorities? Do you think you can put your blinders on? Do you think you can drown out all the distractions right now and just work as hard as you possibly can, as you ever have for the next six months? So you don’t have to look back, have regrets, wonder what could have happened”, Patterson recalled. While the 36-year-old is serving as a mentor in the national team, Biles is once again stealing the spotlight through her gymnastic brilliance.
Biles sensational at US National Training camp
Headed by Carly Patterson, the U.S. National Team is going through strict drills, and acing all is gymnastics queen Simone Biles. While the Olympic Champion didn’t obliterate her flips, she was mesmerizing on the Amanar vault drill. A perfect start was followed by a breathtaking landing as cheers poured in for Biles.
The 26-year-old displayed her uneven bar routines on Monday, but Amanar’s vault was nonetheless the best and most significant. Biles wasn’t ready to try the drill last year, and in the 2020 Olympics, the same drill saw her catching the twisties. However, as she finally wins over it, she has all her bases covered, ready to sweep the golds in Paris.
