Although Simone Biles will be competing in 2024, she hasn’t officially announced when. The Olympic champion has chosen to forgo the ongoing Winter Cup, and will likely be back on the mat sometime in May.

In 2023, after returning from her two-year-long hiatus, Biles got back in competition, starting at the US Classics. Next, she participated in the National Championships, where she qualified for the Antwerp Artistic World Championships.

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This time around, the US Classics are taking place between May 17-18 in Hartford, Connecticut. The Classics will be followed by the 2024 US Gymnastics Championships, which are scheduled to commence on May 30 and go on till June 2. The National Championships will take place in Biles’ backyard in Fort Worth, Texas.

Simone Biles is likely to be seen competing at either of these events, as she prepares for the 2024 US Olympic Gymnastics Team Trials. Both the Classics and National Championships are a way to qualify for the trials.

However, the 26-year-old already has a pre-booked berth at the Olympic trials, since she was part of the US team that headed to Belgium last year for the World Championships.

At the latest, Biles should be in action for the Olympic trials, which are scheduled to happen in Minneapolis between June 27-30.

UPDATE ;No Simone Biles in The 2024 Winter Cup: Could It Be A Big Setback For Team USA?

Simone Biles is one of the top favorites to qualify for the American gymnastics team that heads to Paris for the 2024 Olympics. If and when she manages to snag a spot in the team, she will be competing in her third consecutive Games.

In Paris, Biles stands to break the record for most Olympic medals by an American gymnast. She is currently tied with Shannon Miller as they have seven each. But the 2016 all-around champion is likely to surpass Miller after her performance in Paris.

She also stands a chance to join the elite group of gymnasts who have won eight or more Olympic medals. The current list of gymnasts to have achieved this feat comprises Larisa Latynina, Věra Čáslavská, Ágnes Keleti, Polina Astakhova, Nadia Comăneci, Ludmilla Tourischeva, Margit Korond, and Sofia Muratova.

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If Simone Biles can pull off a repeat of the performance she gave at the World Championships in Antwerp last August, she would also catapult to the second spot in the list of most decorated Olympic gymnasts.

As the 2024 Paris Olympics draws nearer, all eyes are on Simone Biles, as she says, “That’s the path that I would love to go.”  If Biles clinches a medal in Paris, she will break the record of Shannon Miller, who is known for winning seven Olympic medals. However, the pivotal gateway to Paris lies in the qualification process which is the Winter Cup. It unfolds from February 23 to 25 at the International Convention Center in Louisville, Kentucky.

This event serves as a launching pad for elite athletes as they commence their journey into the Olympic year. Despite the anticipation surrounding this competition, Biles’ absence raises eyebrows. What’s behind her decision to skip the event?

READ MORE ;No Simone Biles in The 2024 Winter Cup: Could It Be A Big Setback For Team USA?

Biles won’t be gracing the Winter Cup stage, notably absent from the official entry list. Despite her aspirations for the 2024 Olympic team, the legendary gymnast conveyed to Vanity Fair a tempered perspective, stating, “If I don’t make it to Paris, it won’t absolutely crush me.” This perspective stems from her Tokyo Olympics experience, where she grappled with the “twisties,” resulting in the loss of air awareness during routines and potential injury, necessitating her withdrawal from multiple events.

Is it the pressure, the twisties, or anxiety that’s keeping her away, or is she solely focused on training hard for Paris? Whatever the reason may be, we can only hope she’s taking the time she needs. However, as the Winter Cup approaches, it appears that Simone Biles is enjoying her well-deserved break, as she expressed yesterday, “Ready to go on vacation again.” However, previously during the Tokyo Olympics, Simone Biles’ decision to withdraw from the team surprised Olympic viewers, but it followed years of stress and pressure on the shoulders.

UPDATE ;Simone Biles’ ‘Speechless’ Moments: Reflecting on Triumph and Setback During Black History Month

Following her decision to withdraw, she further elaborated on the immense pressure she had been facing, acknowledging its impact on her. Biles confirmed that her withdrawal wasn’t due to a physical injury but rather her fear of potential mistakes that could lead to injury during competition. By openly discussing her struggle to find the right mindset for the team final, Biles joined the ranks of star athletes addressing the mental challenges of high-stakes competition, often unseen by the public.

Despite her unease during the Olympics, Biles had endured years of challenges since her stellar performance at the 2016 Rio Olympics, including confronting abuse within USA Gymnastics and the added complexities of the pandemic-induced postponement of the Tokyo Games. Throughout, she continued to strive for excellence while navigating personal and professional pressures, leaving an indelible mark on the sport.

At the behest of the Olympic platform, the American choice would be watching Simone Biles, Suni Lee, and Gabby Douglas taking stands with each other. Ultimately, this trio indicates the golden run that Team USA has been dictating on Olympic gymnastics for the last two decades. The dream run started with Carly Patterson’s all-around gold medal in the 2004 Olympics. In consecutive turns, Nastia Liukin, Gabby Douglas, Simone Biles, and Suni Lee claimed the same title. The 2024 Paris Olympics could be the sixth in that trot. Moreover, in a rare turn of events, the ephemeral trio could be present there together for the very first time (and for the last time maybe!). But before that, the Winter Cup could have been a marvelous chance to see the three starlets opposing each other, edging to show the glittering in leotard.

READ MORE ;Simone Biles’ ‘Speechless’ Moments: Reflecting on Triumph and Setback During Black History Month

But with Simone Biles bowing out, the stage is now limited to the rest of the two. Does that leave room for uncomfortable questions before the Paris Olympics, or would it be too early to jostle into that? Let’s find a suitable perspective.

Simone Biles’ routine exercise in the US National Camp under Carly Patterson’s glance evoked her returning chance after the 2023 World Championship. Moreover, that camp’s timeline conjured to the 7x Olympic medalist’s returning probability this month, in the Winter Cup.

However, Biles herself never went vocal, sprinkling her share on the deliberate participation question. Moreover, the contest holds the ability to qualify gymnasts for the upcoming US National Classic. But that couldn’t change the scenario for Simone as she is still maintaining her silence while the registration window is rearing to find the end day. In such a situation, her decision may indicate one side that Simone is choosing her battles mindfully now. Standing at the age of 26, the American sensation may not hound each contest. So, a selective approach may help her to run more days. But in such a strategy, one complexity is bound to come, and that is gelling with the formation.

A notable absentee in 2024 Winter Cup: how Simone Biles’s absence can hamper Team USA 

Before coming to the obvious team selection for the upcoming bouts, let’s have a look at the American team for the last two occasions.

In the 2023 World Artistic Gymnastics Championship in Antwerp, Simone Biles was joined by Skye Blakely, Shilese Jones, Joscelyn Roberson, and Leanne Wong in the team events. Eventually, the nearest opponent, Brazil, could stay behind by a vast gap. Moreover, in the Tokyo Olympics team, Simone Biles found Sunisa Lee, Jordan Chiles, and Grace McCallum with her in giving a rigid challenge to the champion team, ROC. Coincidentally, from these two American squads, only Suni Lee and Skye Blakely have registered for the upcoming Winter Cup. The rest of the elite gymnasts backed out. Among them, Jordan Chiles and Joscelyn Roberson’s exit decision came after Simone pulled out. However, both Jordan and Roberson blamed their injury for forcing them out. Nevertheless, such a concerted absence has minimized the chance of framing the USA team with the same faces in the future. Despite that, a missing berth might be a chance for the waiting ones to fill in the gap. The Winter Cup could answer the quest for a suitable replacement.

Just like Simone Biles, Gabby is chasing her third Olympics. If the pair succeed in their goal, they will touch Dominique Dawes, the legend of the sport. In sharing more similarities with the 23x world champion, Gabby also hung her leotard for a sizeable chunk of years. Now, after lighting the fire again, the 28-year-old is about to defy all the odds to find herself on the Olympic podium again. That keeps her in the same frame as Simone Biles as well. So, in the absence of her 2016 Olympic teammate, Gabby will want to rouse the similar fanfare in Kentucky. That applies to Suni Lee as well. Except for this duo, NCAA spearhead Trinity Thomas would challenge Skye Blakely to captivate the contest. Except for them, Alicia Zhou will try to repeat her gold-winning performance from the 2023 Pan American Games. The 2023 Winter Cup all-around champion, Lexi Zeiss, will be there as well. She was on standby for the American team that earned the 2022 World Championship medal.