After Simone Biles, Another ‘Disappointment’ for America as Zoe Miller Makes a Saddening Update

Days after it was confirmed that Simone Biles would not compete at the Winter Cup, a promising young athlete Zoe Miller announced her unavailability for the event. The Winter Cup does have a star-studded roster and will feature the comeback of Gabby Douglas to gymnastics after an eight-year gap, but Miller absence will be felt.

Days ahead of the awaited Winter Cup, Zoe Miller, recently took to her Instagram stories to announce that gymnastics fans would not be seeing her at the upcoming competition. The 18-year-old wrote, “With much disappointment, I wanted to share with you all that my participation in this year’s Winter Cup is no longer feasible due to an injury.”

While Miller did not mention the exact nature of the injury, the youngster added that she would focus on recovery and cheer on those participating. She further wrote, “Best of luck to all participants. I will be rooting for everyone.”

Zoe Miller was the 2023 Winter Cup uneven bars champion and the 2023 Pan American Games, she won gold medals on the uneven bars and in the team event with the United States women’s gymnastics team.

The Winter Cup acts as a qualifying event for the 2024 U.S. Gymnastics Championships and also selects the junior and senior national teams. This year’s tournament will be held from February 23-25 in Louisville, Kentucky. Earlier Simone Biles was not listed for the event and then  2023 World Championships all-around bronze medalist Fred Richard, also withdrew from the event.

Fans will still get to see Suni Lee and a returning Gabby Douglas at the event. As a 16-year-old, Douglas won the all-around gold at the 2012 London Games, becoming the first Black woman to win the Olympic title. She hasn’t competed since helping the U.S. win team gold at the 2016 Olympics. Apart from Lee and Douglas World gold medalists Kayla DiCello and Lexi Zeiss will also compete at the event.

For Zoe Miller, who has been on the national team since 2021 and aims for Paris 2024, the event would have been the right boost. Nonetheless, having more to look forward to on the immediate path, the gymnast will look to be back on the mats as soon as possible.

Olympics and LSU in sight for Zoe Miller

Zoe Miller trains at the World Champions Centre and is surrounded by numerous Olympic gymnasts, inclusive of Simone Biles and Jordan Chiles. Miller revealed staying in the group has helped the youngster grow on the mats and off as she treads forward. Miller told International Gymnast Media, “Simone taught me not to care what people think.”

Owning to this mindset, the 18-year-old secured two gold medals in the Pan Am games last year and three more during the Pan Am Championships previously. Having secured that, the Olympics are the next stop for Zoe Miller. The gymnast even chose to defer her first year of college at LSU in the hopes of making it to the Paris Olympics.

On the road to achieving her goal, Miller wished to “stay healthy and just know that I gave it my all for the Olympic year no matter what happens.” If the injury proves nothing serious, the youngster might be on mats just in time for the trials in June.

Read more: Simone Biles Opens Up About ‘A Sad’ Reality Amidst Celebrations for Her Sister’s Special Day