Minneapolis, MN
Simone Biles tops the leaderboard on night one of U.S. Olympic Team Trials in Minneapolis
MINNEAPOLIS (KTTC) – Simone Biles completed night one of Women’s Gymnastics U.S. Team Olympic Team Trials atop the leaderboard.
It was a packed house Friday at Target Center with thousands of fans eager to see Biles, the seven-time Olympic medalist.
The crowd gave her a standing ovation after her performance on vault.
The stadium also showed love for Minnesota’s own Suni Lee, the all-around gold medalist in Tokyo as she competed on home turf.
After night one, Lee stands in third place just behind fellow Tokyo Olympian Jordan Chiles.
“I think, honestly, once you get out there and put yourself out there, and you know what you’re capable of doing and the potential, day two is a little easier, because you’re like, ‘Okay, I’ve done it once already, let’s just do it again,’” Chiles said.
Injuries have also played a big role in trials.
Competition took a devastating turn Friday night for Kayla DiCello who was an alternate for Team USA in Tokyo.
On the very first event, she sustained an injury on vault. Medical personnel escorted her out for evaluation and she did not return.
Shilese Jones also left Friday’s competition for a medical evaluation after warming up on vault.
Skye Blakely was hurt during Wednesday’s practice and did not compete Friday.
Women return for night two of competition Sunday.
Find stories like this and more, in our apps.
Copyright 2024 KTTC. All rights reserved.