While Suni Lee made it clear she intended to return to elite gymnastics this year, Simone Biles hadn't said much about her future plans. Wednesday, USA Gymnastics announced the two Olympic gold medalists will be back this summer, with both of them entering the U.S. Classic in August.
Lee, 20, and Biles, 26, are among 26 women registered for the Aug. 4-5 meet in Hoffman Estates, Ill. The Classic will be Lee's first meet since February, when her sophomore season at Auburn was cut short by a kidney ailment. Biles has not competed in nearly two years, since the Tokyo Olympics in 2021.
A St. Paul native, Lee has resumed training at her longtime home gym, Midwest Gymnastics Center in Little Canada. Coach Jess Graba had hoped she could return for the U.S. Classic, though he does not expect her to do all four events. The plan is for Lee to go from the U.S. Classic to the national championships, with the ultimate goal of making the team for the world championships in October.
The reigning Olympic all-around champion, Lee wants to use this year's meets as a springboard toward the 2024 Paris Olympics. She announced last fall she would end her college career at Auburn after two seasons, so she could concentrate on making the team for Paris.
The U.S. championships are Aug. 24-27 in San Jose, Calif., and the world championships are Sept. 30-Oct. 18 in Antwerp, Belgium. The Olympic gymnastics trials are set for March 2024 at Target Center.
Biles, whose seven Olympic medals include the 2016 all-around title, withdrew during the team competition at the Tokyo Games for mental-health reasons. She returned to perform on balance beam and won bronze.
She had hinted at mounting a comeback for the Paris Games after taking a long layoff from the sport. Biles married Green Bay Packers defensive back Jonathan Owens in May.
Lee is among several NCAA gymnasts who plan to use the U.S. Classic as a stepping stone toward Paris. The NCAA's name, image and likeness rules have made it possible to move between college and elite competition, allowing gymnasts to exercise their earning power while retaining college eligibility.
Fellow Tokyo Olympic medalists Jordan Chiles (UCLA) and Jade Carey (Oregon State) also are registered for the U.S. Classic, as is Leanne Wong (Florida), a silver medalist at the 2021 world championships. Chiles and Carey earned medals at the world championships last fall before resuming their college careers.
Another Minnesota Olympian, Shane Wiskus, is among the men registered for the U.S. Classic. Wiskus, part of the American men's roster that finished fifth in the team competition in Tokyo, now trains in Florida and is part of the senior national team.
The women's entries also include Lexi Zeiss of Omaha, a national team member who trains at the Twin City Twisters gym in Champlin.
