No American gymnast has won more all-around national championships than Simone Biles’ eight.

And this weekend, she hopes to make it nine.

Biles will be the headliner at the U.S. gymnastics championships in Fort Worth, Texas this week — the last and most significant competition before the U.S. Olympic trials at the end of next month. The start of the Paris Olympics is now less than two months away.

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Biles, 27, won the all-around national title last year and is a safe bet to make the Olympic team regardless of her performance this weekend. The event carries more significance for the women hoping to join her, including regining Olympic gold medalists Suni Lee (all-around) and Jade Carey (floor exercise), among many others. Gabby Douglas, the 2012 all-around Olympic champion, will not be competing after announcing her withdrawal Wednesday.

The U.S. championships will also be a pivotal event for the men, where Brody Malone, Fred Richard, Yul Moldauer and Asher Hong are among those trying to position themselves for Olympic team inclusion.

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Here’s everything you need to know about the 2024 U.S. gymnastics championships.

When are the 2024 U.S. gymnastics championships?

The U.S. championships will run from Thursday to Sunday at Dickies Arena, located a few miles west of downtown Fort Worth. The senior men will compete Thursday night and Saturday night, with the women in action Friday and Sunday.

Unlike the Olympics, where there are separate all-around and apparatus finals, the national championships will consist of two all-around sessions in each gender. More than 50 athletes will also be competing in the junior competition.

For celebrities and sports stars, life in the spotlight often means that their personal lives become the subject of public discourse. Simone Biles, the indomitable seven-time-medal-winning Olympian, has become the focus of chatter; not for her skill on the gymnastics mat, but for her marriage. Following her recent victory at the 2024 Core Hydration Classic, Biles took a moment to address the ongoing scrutiny surrounding her marriage to husband, Jonathan Owens. 

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After years of medal after medal news, the spotlight shifted from her gravity-defying flips to her personal life, and she wasn’t about to let it slide. Simone Biles’ marriage has captivated fans and media alike, but she has made it clear that her relationship is not up for public debate.

With grace and poise, Biles emphasized the importance of boundaries and the strength she draws from her support system, showcasing that her resilience is as unwavering in her personal life as it is in her athletic career. Her candid response serves as a powerful reminder that behind every superstar is a human being deserving of respect and privacy.

The controversy began with a seemingly innocuous “The Pivot” podcast episode where Jonathan Owens, Biles’ husband and safety for the Chicago Bears, mentioned that he didn’t know who Biles was when they first met on a dating app in 2020. Owens humorously claimed he was “the catch” in the relationship. His words sparked a social media frenzy, with debates raging on whether his comments were harmless or subtly dismissive.

As Biles continued to dominate the gymnastics world, most recently taking home the all-around gold medal at the U.S. Classic, the online negativity towards her marriage persisted. Critics latched onto Owens’ comments, using them as fodder for disrespect toward the couple’s relationship.

Biles, known for her poise and resilience, addressed the disrespectful comments head-on. In a fiery Instagram story, she defended her marriage and her husband, stating, “I’m going to quickly address this. The joke was never a joke! Y’all are blatantly disrespectful to my relationship and my husband.” 

The upcoming 2024 Paris Olympics are quickly approaching, and for American female gymnasts like Simone Biles, a global superstar, the Core Hydration Classic on Saturday marks their initial effort in securing a spot at the Summer Games.

Simone Biles commences journey toward Paris at Core Hydration Classic event.

Incredibly, three Olympic all-around champions will be part of the field for the very first time, as Gabby Douglas and Sunisa Lee – who earned gold in 2012 and 2021 respectively – join Simone Biles at the competition in Hartford, Connecticut.

In the last time these three ladies went up against each other eight years ago at the national championships, Biles came out on top while Douglas finished fourth and Lee was in 10th place in the juniors.

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Since then, all three women have achieved significant success but have encountered their own challenges, adding a sense of comeback to their quest for qualification for the Paris Olympics.

Despite the intense competition, Biles is still the main draw. She stepped back from several events at the Tokyo Games due to what doctors call “the twisties” – a psychological barrier that causes a gymnast to lose track of their position during flight. However, Biles is now determined to add to her collection of seven Olympic medals at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.

Biles earned a bronze in the balance beam in Tokyo but took a break from gymnastics after the Games before returning to the sport last year. Since her return, she’s won four gold medals, along with a silver, at the world championships and surpassed Belarusian Vitaly Scherbo’s record of 33 overall medals in both the Olympics and world championships.

Now, Biles begins the process of qualifying for the Paris Olympics at the Core Hydration Classic. The last chance to secure a spot is at the national championships in June, where the top performers will be selected for the Olympic Trials.

Three-time Olympic gold medalist Douglas, on the other hand, is making her second competitive appearance since the 2016 Rio Olympics, ten months after announcing her return to the sport. Douglas began missing gymnastics after watching the US national championships in 2022 and decided to resume training. “Now I can’t believe I’m in this sport again,” she told NBC News Now.

Lee has also taken extended periods away from the gym since her Olympic win three years ago. She faced the threat of kidney disease, but treatment enabled her to manage the condition and aim for Paris.

Biles has been an inspiration for Lee, who shared her thoughts with Reuters last month. “She’s a very open person about her mental health,” Lee said, “and she’s helped me become more open about my own mental health journey.”

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In addition to Douglas and Lee, Biles will be competing against 13 other medalists from the Olympics, World Championships, and/or Pan American Games this weekend, including Tokyo Olympic floor champion Jade Carey and six-time world championship medalist Shilese Jones.

How to watch

Biles competes in the second session of the senior women’s competition from 7-9 p.m. ET on Saturday, May 18, alongside other gymnasts with Olympic or World Championship experience. The first session, from 2-4 p.m. ET, features the rest of the senior gymnasts.

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Fans can watch the first senior session live on the USA Gymnastics YouTube channel. The second session, featuring Biles, Douglas, and Lee, airs on CNBC and Peacock. NBC will also air a recap show on Sunday, May 19, at 2 p.m. ET.

Netflix and the International Olympic Committee are partnering on three new sports series: Simone Biles: Rising, Olympic Men’s Basketball and Sprint.

Each show offers viewers unique access behind the scenes of the upcoming Olympic Games Paris 2024 and are set to premiere this summer and fall and early 2025.

Simone Biles: Rising follows Biles and her return to the Olympic stage after withdrawing from the 2020 Tokyo Olympics to focus on her mental health. Since then, she’s put in the work rebuilding her gymnastics from the ground up and she’s ready for this next stage of competition.

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Part 1 will premiere in July ahead of the start of the Paris games. The four-episode series is produced by Religion of Sports in association with the Olympic Channel. Gotham Chopra, Ameeth Sankaran, Giselle Parets and Janey Miller executive produce. Kate Walsh will direct.

Olympic Men’s Basketball is a 6-episode series that will follow potential medal contenders and promising hopefuls in men’s basketball as teams from across the world compete in the Olympic Games Paris 2024 and the qualifying events leading up to it.

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The series is produced by Higher Ground Productions (Leave the World Behind, American Symphony), and the Olympic Channel. Executive producers include Connor Schell, Libby Geist, Aaron Cohen and Jason Hehir of Words & Pictures; Barack Obama, Michelle Obama, Vinnie Malhotra and Ethan Lewis of Higher Ground Productions. Jake Rogal (The Last Dance) will serve as showrunner of the series which is slated to premiere in early 2025.

If you thought Simone Biles had no one to one up her, think again. Turns out, the newest kid on the block is Italian teenage phenom Manila Esposito who has etched her name in the annals of history. Esposito’s performance is invoking comparisons to the legendary Simone Biles, Svetlana Khorkina, and Lilia Podkopayeva.

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In the 2024 European Championships, Esposito didn’t just participate but reached the zenith with an impeccable record. Shattering all expectations, Esposito clinched not one, not two, but three gold in a single European Championships. The most astonishing fact is that this feat has been achieved by only the most iconic gymnasts of yesteryears. Going into Paris, will she be giving Simone Biles a run for her money?

Manila Esposito has secured four gold medals in the 2024 European Championships. Among these four, three are for individual events. Russian gymnast phenom Svetlana Khorkina and Ukrainian star Lilia Podkopayeva are the only figures from all across the globe who have managed to secure this feat. Only Khorkina and Podkopayeva won three gold in individual events in a single European Championships in the last 30 years. While 17-year-old Esposito’s name has already been in the pages with these iconic names, she is also being compared to Simone Biles when it comes to achieving heights at such a tender age. Also, Khorkina and Podkopayeva are among the most successful gymnasts in the All-Around competition between Simone Biles and the 1970s.

The European Championships began in the 1950s. And since then there have been only twenty occasions when a gymnast has mastered a three-gold sweep to date. Besides, all the gymnasts who have previously managed to clinch a triple-gold are legendary figures in Gymnastics and Hall of Famers. Also, eighteen times the gymnasts who have achieved the hat-trick in European Championships were already Olympic medalists.

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Comparing all these stats, it’s pretty clear that Manila Esposito is already a shining name in the history of the European Championships. But there are also several grounds which make the Italian 17-year-old eligible to be compared to American gymnastics queen Simone Biles.

Simone Biles who is considered the queen of gymnastics participated in the Rio Olympics in 2016 when she was just 19. 19-year-old Biles clinched gold in three individual events, including the all-around, vault, and floor exercise in the 2016 Rio Olympics. While Biles was just 17 she participated in the 2014 World Gymnastics Championships and bagged four gold. Two for individual events including floor and balance beam and another one for all-around individuals besides team all-around. Esposito too at just 17 grabbed four gold in the 35th Rimini European Artistic Gymnastics Championships. Previously in Antalya, she won two silver in 2023.

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The sudden rise of the Italian teenage star might pose a threat to the Paris Olympics competitors. With the curtains closed on the 2024 European Championships, Esposito’s triumph may drive a spanner in the works of Simone Biles plan. Like a shooting star streaking across the night sky, Paris may very well be her defining year.

Following her withdrawal from most events at the Tokyo Olympics due to “Twisties”, Simone Biles made a triumphant return that has only added to her repertoire. Her Tokyo journey sparked global conversations about the importance of prioritizing physical and mental health in elite sports. Following a hiatus of two years and two days, Biles made a comeback in August 2023, clinching her eighth all-around individual national title in a decade.

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Subsequently, in October 2023, she secured her sixth individual world title in Antwerp, Belgium. As she now gears up for the Paris Olympics, the gymnastics community speculates on whether Biles would have pursued participation in Paris had the “twisties “episode in Tokyo not occurred.

Simone Biles shattered records and defied expectations throughout her career. Becoming the first African-American woman to clinch the US gymnastics championship at just 16 years old in 2013 marked the beginning of her meteoric rise. Since then, Biles has amassed an astonishing collection of accolades, including seven Olympic medals–four of them gold–from her stellar performance at the Rio Olympics in 2016. When Simone Biles pulled out from the Tokyo Olympics at 24 due to the twisties, since then speculation arose about her retirement.

Age is a critical factor in gymnastics, where athletes often retire at this age. Had twisties not occurred, Biles, now 27, might not have pursued the Paris Olympics, potentially opting for retirement. Despite uncertainties, Biles’s acknowledgment of the challenges of aging in the sport resonates, prompting discussions about her future and leaving room for speculation, even among Reddit users, about what could have been if the twisties hadn’t intervened.

Amidst the multitude of speculations surrounding Simone Biles’ potential participation in the Paris Olympics, several Reddit user comments stood out for their insightful perspectives. One fan mused, reflecting on the timing and circumstances, “I don’t know tbh. I think if it had been in 2020 and no Covid probably no, but it being 2021 and less than three years away was probably less of a psychological ‘OMG I can’t face another quad’ barrier.” The fan suggested that the presence of Covid-19 in 2020 could have made participation less likely and this was the allusion needed to cement Biles’ possible return.

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Another commenter recalled Biles’s pre-Tokyo sentiments about retirement, stating, “She said before Tokyo that she wanted to retire after Tokyo but was considering coming back for Paris in honor of her French coaches.” This observation underscores the significance of personal connections and professional relationships in shaping Biles’ potential Olympic journey.

One user highlighted the challenges Biles faced during the Tokyo quad, “During the Tokyo quad she was dealing with the aftermath of abuse and the usag scandals and wasn’t finding much joy in the sport, but it seems that she was happier after the quad ended. All of this probably made it easier for her to make the comeback she had previously considered.” They speculated that the post-Olympic period brought positive changes, such as new USAG leadership and personal milestones, which may have reignited Biles’ enthusiasm for competition.

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In contrast, another commenter hinted at the possibility of retirement had Tokyo unfolded differently, noting, “It wouldn’t have shocked me if she’d retired had Tokyo worked out the way she expected.“. This perspective suggests that Biles may have been inclined to step away from gymnastics had her Tokyo experience aligned with her

Finally, a concise yet poignant remark encapsulated a prevailing sentiment: “No. It seemed like she wanted to be done after Tokyo.” This observation echoes Biles’s own statements about considering retirement, indicating that regardless of external factors, her desire to conclude her gymnastics career after Tokyo was palpable. In essence, these user comments offer a multifaceted view of the complex considerations and emotional dynamics surrounding Simone Biles’ potential Olympic trajectory.

7-time Olympic medalist Simone Biles and other world-class gymnasts will be leaping into Philadelphia this fall.

The pop concert-style performance known as the “Gold Over America Tour” is coming to the Wells Fargo Center on October 4.

This high-flying performance will showcase the athletic brilliance and championship journeys of Biles and gymnasts Jade Carey, Jordan Chiles, Katelyn Ohashi, Peng-Peng Lee, Shilese Jones, Fred Richard, Mélanie Johanna De Jesus Dos Santos, Kayla Dicello, Evita Griskenas, Casimir Schmidt and more.

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Biles, the most decorated gymnast of all time, will lead the cast in a jaw-dropping show featuring high-energy choreography with an inspirational message of hope, strength, resilience and determination.

Event organizers said this show “will have audiences on the edge of their seat with every tumble, twist and gravity-defying trick.”

This post-Olympic tour will be traveling across the country making stops in 30 arenas.

“From the world’s stage to the GOAT stage, this incredible journey continues, and I can’t wait for fans to see what we have in store this year,” Biles said in a statement. “I love creating unforgettable memories for our audiences every night on tour.”

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Tickets for the tour will be available starting with a presale beginning on Thursday, May 16 at 10 a.m., with general on-sale beginning on Friday, May 17 at 10 a.m.