Team USA has always had their holy triumvirate – Simone Biles, Gabby Douglas and Suni Lee, making us proud with their hat doffing-worthy performances. The 2024 American and Hopes Classic will be underway from April 26 and two of these star-studded jewels will be back with a flourish. While the entries have been announced for this edition, a notable name was found missing from the list. US gymnastics queen, Simone Arianne Biles was expected to make an entry at the event. However, that will not be the case. Biles usually starts her Olympic campaign late and she will kick start her journey at the US Classics scheduled for May this year.
What’s also noteworthy is that this event will be a precursor/springboard to the 2024 Xfinity U.S. Gymnastics Championships. Although Simone Biles will be absent, there will be no scarcity of star power for the fans to enjoy. Not to disparage the other juggernauts, but we will also be seeing 90 in action artistic gymnasts. Juniors like Myli Lew and Greta Krob, who also coincidentally won the Hopes Classic all-around in 2023, will be up to sweep the mats in the junior division.
Big names like Suni Lee and Gabby Douglas will be sweating it out to perfect their craft ahead of the upcoming Paris Olympics in 2024. Thus, without further ado, here’s a look at some of the prominent athletes that will feature at the American and Hopes Classic 2024, sans Simone Biles. How well will these below mentioned contenders hold the fort for Team USA in the American Classic?
Gabby Douglas looking for redemption
Gabby Douglas is a 3x Olympic gold medalist. Despite her shining antics at the 2012 and 2016 Olympics, Douglas decided to take a break for eight years. During this time, she ventured into the media and entertainment industry. Douglas appeared in a number of shows, including a season of ‘The Masked Dancer’, where she won a competition. The Olympian also had the honor of featuring on the covers of the Sports Illustrated and TIMES.
Douglas, now with a pretty long gap in her repertoire but eyes, moves and sinews brimming with passion, said on NBC News – “I’m still a competitor at heart,” and bemoaned that she missed her first calling – gymnastics –“After watching the 2022 championships, I was like I miss competing. … I found myself in the gym, and I was like all right, maybe I could do this again.”
Just when everyone thought that her career was over, she came back with a bang. Or she tried to. Looking to kickstart her journey at the Winter Cup 2024. Unfortunately, tragedy struck once again as she was diagnosed with COVID-19 days before the event.
With no other option left, Douglas pulled out of the tournament with a heavy heart. However, her struggles did not faze her. She continued to grind and finally got a call to the National training camp. And now, come April 26, Gabby Douglas will be looking to gain some much-needed self-assurance going into the Paris Olympics in July. However, Douglas is not the only one looking for a comeback.
Suni Lee looking to put behind dark days
Life seemed perfect for Suni Lee after she clinched the all-around gold at the Tokyo Olympics toppling Simone Biles. Unfortunately, fate seemed to have different plans for the budding gymnast. Soon after the Olympics, Lee was diagnosed with a severe kidney disease that almost threatened to derail her career. Speaking about her career, Lee stated that both of her kidneys were affected during the process. What is even heartbreaking is the fact that her diagnosis came in late until she got to the fourth stage.
Lee said, “If I had not gotten the other kidney disease, they wouldn’t have found out I had this kidney disease until later on, when I had Stage IV kidney failure.” However, instead of breaking down, Lee made it her mission to make a strong comeback. Along with her coach, Jess Graba, Lee is slowly and steadily gaining back all her lost touch. Suni Lee had once stated that – “I’m not sure if I’m doing American Classic quite yet.” but hopes and adrenaline can change the course of action for a person and that’s exactly what happened with Lee.
In fact, her confidence has made her attempt a feat that very few have had the honor of. She decided to name a move exclusively as ‘The Lee’ ahead of the Paris Olympics. Explaining her move further, Lee stated that it would be a full-twisting, laid out Jaeger on the uneven bars.
This is an element that no one has dared to execute in the past. And as Lee steps into the American and Hopes Classica a few hours from now, she will surely look to give her fans enough reasons to cheer. Now, speaking of athletes returning from injuries, Joscelyn Roberson is a name that comes immediately to mind.
From tears to smiles: The inspiring tale of Joscelyn Roberson
Joscelyn Roberson was full of excitement when she qualified for the 2023 World Artistic Gymnastics. Being the youngest member of the team, it was thrilling enough for Roberson to share the locker room with the likes of Simone Biles. And much to her delight, a superb performance from Simone Biles and company got Team USA adorned with the gold medal as well. Sadly, even after winning the gold, Roberson did not have a fairytale ending to her story.
While most fans might have witnessed the young gymnast smiling with the gold, the pain within was unfathomable. Trying to perfect a Cheng vault, Roberson faltered a bit with the movement. And the mess tangled her brutally. After having a terrible landing, Roberson had significant difficulty in walking. With no other options left, her coach, Laurent Landi stepped in and carried her away from the arena. Roberson’s injury ruled her out of the tournament, resulting in more embarrassment.
However, even in her pain, she didn’t refrain from acknowledging Biles and her teammates, who grabbed the gold at the event. Inside Gymnastics reflected the same in their X post. It read, “Joscelyn said she is great. She was feeling all of the emotions after Simone’s floor routine. Finding out Melanie won a bronze with her team was an incredible moment for WCC. “I was crying so many happy tears for all of us!” Unwilling to sit back and sulk, Roberson was itching to get back to her training. She got back to the gym in March 2024 and shared a couple of videos to assure her fans.
The videos portrayed her in her full glory, as she performed breathtaking stunts on the floor and on the bars. Well, Roberson might be returning to the mainstream competition after a gap. But she will give in all her efforts to make sure that she doesn’t leave the arena crying this time. With so many tales of redemption intriguing the fans, they will surely be in for a treat when Jade Carey steps in.
