UCLA star gymnast Jordan Chiles is an Olympic silver medalist — but in her 3 earlier tries, she just missed the reduce for the U.S. planet group. This week, she will compete at worlds for the initial time ever when the 2022 artistic gymnastics planet championships commence in Liverpool, England, on Saturday.
And she’s a contender to win the all-about.
Chiles’ Olympic teammate Jade Carey will be alongside her, as the U.S. ladies vie for a record sixth straight group title.
With the 2024 Olympics fewer than two years away, Paris qualifying is on the line as properly. The major 3 teams right here, for each guys and ladies, will safe their Olympic spots.
Not fairly up to speed on who to watch this week? Here are the gymnasts, teams and storylines you never want to miss.
Schedule and how to watch
When: Oct. 29 – Nov. six
Where to watch: Streaming reside on Peacock highlights airing on NBC Nov. five from 12-1:30 pm ET
Schedule of events (all instances ET):
Oct. 29-30: Women’s qualifying
Oct. 31: Men’s qualifying
Nov. 1: Women’s group final, two:15 pm
Nov. two: Men’s group final, 1:25 pm
Nov. three: Women’s all-about final, two:30 pm
Nov. four: Men’s all-about final, 1:45 pm
Nov. five: Event finals (women’s vault and uneven bars men’s floor, pommel horse and rings), 9:15 am
Nov. six: Event finals (women’s balance beam and floor men’s vault, parallel bars and horizontal bars), eight:15 am
All eyes on the American ladies
Olympic all-about champions Simone Biles and Suni Lee are not at present competing in elite gymnastics (even though neither has announced a retirement from it), but the U.S. group is nonetheless deemed the favourite to claim gold in Liverpool.
Led by Chiles and Carey, as properly as Shilese Jones, who earned the major all-about spot at worlds choice camp earlier this month, this squad is loaded with talent. All 3 earned person gold medals at final month’s World Challenge Cup in Paris and appear additional than prepared for the international stage.
Shilese Jones has auto-certified to the US Women’s World Team by placing up the highest All-Around score in the course of the initial day of competitors at choice camp!
Total Score ➡️ 56.700@ShileseJ | @gkelite | @WGC2022 pic.twitter.com/DjEnVjOM7k
— USA Gymnastics (@USAGym) October 22, 2022
Rounding out the 5-particular person American group are 2020 Olympic alternate Leanne Wong, who earned all-about silver at worlds in 2021, and 17-year-old Skye Blakely, who took the all-about bronze at the Pan American Championships in July.
However, the group is not precisely at complete strength. Konnor McClain, the 2022 all-about and beam national champion, had to withdraw ahead of choice camp due to a back injury. It’s the most up-to-date setback for McClain, who has lengthy been deemed 1 of Team USA’s brightest hopes for 2024, but she remained optimistic about the future in an Instagram post, writing she was “prepared to come back subsequent year stronger and healthier.”
The United States hasn’t lost the planet group title considering the fact that 2010 and will attempt to turn into the initial nation to win six straight. At the 2020 Olympics, the final big international group competitors, it was the Russian Olympic Committee that took gold. But Russia, along with Belarus, is banned from competing right here due to the ongoing invasion of Ukraine.
Even devoid of Russia, winning the group title is hardly a provided for the USA. Great Britain was the bronze medalist at the Tokyo Olympics, and will have the help of the house crowd. Perennial contender China will contend for its initial planet title considering the fact that 2006. Italy, the newly crowned European champion, will appear to continue its hot streak (even though devoid of major gymnast Asia D’Amato). And Brazil, who earned group gold at the Pan American Championships more than the summer season, will appear to prove that victory was no fluke.
The women’s all-about contenders
As pointed out above, Biles, a 5-time planet all-about champion, and Lee, the Olympic gold medalist, will not be competing, and neither will 2021 winner (and Olympic bronze medalist) Angelina Melnikova of Russia.
So there will be a initial-time planet all-about champion come subsequent week.
And with injuries sidelining a quantity of a number of could-be contenders, such as McClain and reigning European all-about champion D’Amato, the gold medal is definitely up for grabs.
The major 24 gymnasts in qualifying will compete for the podium in the all-about final. So which athletes have the finest opportunity to win?
The U.S. group lineups have not officially been set, so it is also quickly to know who precisely will be competing on all 4 events to qualify into the competitors. But Jones, and present NCAA stars Chiles (UCLA), Carey (Oregon State) and Wong (Florida) all have a opportunity at the podium.
Jones was the runner-up to McClain at nationals more than the summer season, and the champion on floor and co-champion on bars. The 20-year-old reached the finals in all 3 events she competed in at the World Challenge Cup, winning the bars title, and finishing second on floor and fifth on beam. She notched the major score at choice camp with a 56.700.
Chiles, 21, earned a trio of bronze medals at nationals more than the summer season on bars, floor and in the all-about, and earned gold on floor at the Challenge Cup, as properly as silver on vault and a fifth-spot finish on bars. She was a rock for the US group at the Tokyo Olympics, and that expertise could prove invaluable in her initial planet championships.
Just going to leave this right here.@ChilesJordan | @gkelite | @WGC2022 pic.twitter.com/AnpZ9sFyfc
— USA Gymnastics (@USAGym) October 22, 2022
Carey, 22, is the 2022 vault national champion and floor runner-up, and she earned gold on vault and silver on beam — the only two events she competed — in Paris at the Challenge Cup. Carey completed in third spot at choice camp.
Wong, 19, was an Olympic alternate for the 2020 group, and later earned two medals at the 2021 worlds (silver in the all-about bronze on floor.) She tied for initial, with Jones, on bars at nationals.
As for the non-American contenders, there is no 1 with a superior opportunity at gold than Rebecca Andrade. The now 23-year-old went from almost missing out on the 2020 Games altogether to earning all-about silver and vault gold — becoming the initial Brazilian lady to win an Olympic medal in gymnastics.
And she hasn’t slowed down considering the fact that. She won vault gold and bars silver at worlds in 2021, won gold on bars and in the group occasion at the Pan American Games and completed in second on bars (the only occasion she competed) at the World Challenge Cup in Paris.
China’s Zhang Jin, 21, has been creating steady progress considering the fact that finishing seventh in the all-about competitors at final summer’s Olympics. She won the all-about title at the Asian Championships in June, and earned the bronze on beam. Her teammate Tang Xijing was the 2019 all-about runner-up, and could also contend for the major spot.
Jessica Gadirova could be a longer shot for the all-about podium, but the two-time European champion on floor is 1 of the most compelling gymnasts to watch, and is absolutely worth maintaining an eye on.
Meanwhile, on the men’s side …
The Russian group won the title in 2019, as properly as 2020 Olympic gold, so their absence opens the door for other squads, most notably China and Japan. China won 11 of the final 14 titles, so most likely has the edge more than Japan, the 2015 champion.
And, the United States could also grab a podium spot. The US guys have not earned a group medal at worlds or the Olympics considering the fact that 2014, but that could modify in Liverpool.
Led by 3 former person planet medalists — Brody Malone, Donnell Whittenburg and Stephen Nedoroscik — and two up-and-coming stars in Asher Hong and Colt Walker, the Americans have been functioning on growing their difficulty as of late. It could make the distinction in landing them on the podium this time about.
No days off.@brody1700 & @D_whittenburg hitting some significant upgrades at the 2022 Men’s World Team Selection Camp. pic.twitter.com/x6UkpatL0b
— USA Gymnastics (@USAGym) October five, 2022
Japan’s Daiki Hashimoto and China’s Zhang Boheng are the Olympic and reigning planet all-about champions respectively, and are anticipated to battle however once more for the major person honor. Other contenders incorporate European all-about champion Joe Fraser of Great Britain, who also won the title on parallel bars, and Carlos Yulo of the Philippines, who earned all-about silver and 3 occasion gold medals at the Asian Championships.
Malone, the two-time U.S. national champion, is the finest all-about hope for the Americans. He completed 10th at the Tokyo Olympics. Nedoroscik, who became the initial American man to win planet gold in a decade final year, will appear to defend his pommel horse title.
Familiar faces
Liverpool will host a quantity of returning superstars, who could not be all-about threats but are hunting to gather even additional hardware for their currently decorated mantles:
Nina Derwael: The reigning Olympic gold medalist on bars, as properly as a two-time planet champion on the occasion, the 22-year-old Belgian took a break from competitors to do the regular Olympic champion points — yes, such as a victory on the Belgian version of “Dancing with the Stars” — but will creating her return to the international stage this week. Even with restricted education this season, she remains the favourite to win, however once more, on her signature occasion.
Artem Dolgopyat: The 25-year-old created history in Tokyo with his gold-medal functionality on floor and by becoming the initial Israeli gymnast to win an Olympic medal of any colour. The not too long ago crowned European champion on the occasion, as properly as a two-time planet silver medalist, Dolgopyat will have his eyes on the podium in Liverpool.
Ellie Black: The 2017 planet all-about runner-up and Canada’s most-decorated female gymnast of all time, the 27-year-old somehow keeps obtaining superior and superior. While she has an outdoors opportunity of winning an all-about medal, she is extremely considerably a contender on balance beam (she completed fourth in Tokyo final summer season) and even just had a talent – the initial of her profession — named right after her on bars right after getting the initial to do it in international competitors final month in Paris:
Yeo Seo-jeong: The now-20-year old became South Korea’s initial female gymnast to win an Olympic medal when she took house occasion bronze final summer season, competing with her eponymous vault that had the highest difficulty score in the final. Since then she’s turn into the Asian champion on the occasion and will appear to battle with Andrade and Carey for the major spot on the vault podium.
