Winter Cup 2024: A Disappointing Tale Involving USA Women’s Gymnastics

Walking into the Winter Cup 2024 seems a tad overrated now. A streak of bad luck, unanticipated exits, and gravity toying with gymnasts who were locked for gold had pained the hearts of many at the Freedom Hall, Louisville, Kentucky. In the end, a new name emerged in individual All-Around, Kayla DiCello scoring 56.850, an impressive two points ahead of Winter Cup 2022 silver medalist Skye Blakely. With the Winter Cup 2024 unveiling fresh talents and expecting the unexpected, it turned out to be a day that didn’t favor everyone.

Gabby Douglas has to wait her turn 

The hype surrounding the return of 2012 Olympic champion Gabby Douglas had brought about renewed energy at first. After nearly eight years in exile, Gabby made an announcement last July that she would be bidding to earn a spot on the 2024 Olympics roster. Further, her presence at the first USA Gymnastics camp in November since 2016 and training ongoing at the World Olympic Gymnastics Academy (WOGA) in Texas sparked the possibility of an elite list of rosters. Simone Biles hadn’t yet announced her withdrawal then, and Suni Lee had confirmed her 2024 competitive debut now that her kidney illness was ‘pretty much under control.’ 

Just a day ahead of the event, Douglas reported, “I’m so sad to say that I won’t be competing this weekend. I was so excited to get back out on the competition floor, but unfortunately, I just tested positive for COVID. Thank you so much for all of your support and positive energy — it really does mean the world to me. I’m crushed but I’ll see you guys soon!” While Douglas withdrew due to her sickness, Lee, overcoming hers, charged with all her might, but to no avail.

Sunisa Lee’s limited training got the better of her 

Moving on, 2020 Olympic all-around champion Suni Lee had a lot riding on her. In the wake of an incurable kidney disease that limited her training for the better part of 2023, the 3x Olympic medalist had to cut short the 2023 season early. A passionate Lee wanted to return to the mat but dire health conditions entwined like the Gordian knot, “I could wake up very swollen some days and not be able to put my fingers inside my grips.” 

In the entirety of 2023, Lee had participated in just two apparatus. Come 2024, the Winter Cup set the stage for her much-anticipated comeback. But as it turned out, it was far from ideal. Her fall on the balance beam awarded her a mere 12.900, but that wasn’t all. 

During podium training on Friday, Lee was near perfect with executing a new skill, a full-twisting Jaeger, that she was hoping to get her name on as part of a routine in the uneven bar. The skill entailed her launching into the air from the top bar, executing a full-twisting forward somersault in a laid-out position mid-air before grasping hold of the top bar again.

Although the hall roared the loudest during the introductions, Saturday, however, just wasn’t her day. She fell twice and settled for a less-than-expected 11.800 score. “It obviously wasn’t what I wanted. But in all honesty, I think it’s good it happened here rather than somewhere else because you can’t get anywhere without failing,” Lee said. “I’m going to be mad about it for a really long time, but it’s OK.”

It is worth noting that during the warm-up session, reports about Suni Lee withdrawing due to an injury floated, leading to heated comments being thrown around on X. The anger quickly spilled over the choice of venue that led to fans voicing their discontent quite aggressively. In fact, one fan even wondered, “Are they broke?”

Skye Blakely got to keep her silver medal position after a rough start

Runner up in the all-around category, Skye Blakely had a rough start. While performing a backward release to catch hold of the top bar, the next thing one could hear was the audience gasping at the sight of the gymnast landing on her head. However, she recovered fast and went on to win the silver medal with a score of 53.700. She was right when she later said, “I had to get it out of my head and move on. A fall doesn’t change what’s about to happen on the next three events,” Blakely added. 

Despite the hiccups, the road to the Paris Olympics looks promising. After all, the field of US women’s gymnastics runs deep, power-packed by the 20-year-olds!

• 2022 silver and 2023 bronze medalist at the World Championships, 21-year-old Shilese Jones’s name can’t be ignored. Let’s not forget her 2022 silver medal was significant in that it ensured the USA was able to make a podium finish in the individual all-around category, a record that has been unbroken since 2003.
• 23-year-old Jade Carey, who curled up in her father’s embrace out of sadness after she tripped in the vault final at the 2021 Tokyo Olympics, went for a big hug with her dad again the next day for a spectacular 14.366 score in the floor exercise.
• 22-year-old Jordan Chiles, who had the highest all-around score in the NCAA (39.900) in the 2023 season, had to withdraw from the 2024 Winter Cup due to an injured shoulder.
• 22-year-old Trinity Thomas won the 2022 NCAA championships in all-around, uneven bars, and floor exercise and has been named a 34-time NCAA All-American. During the 2023 NCAA regionals, she left her floor routine due to an injury to her leg. She achieved her 28th perfect 10 on vault last year, making NCAA history as one of only three gymnasts to do so.

Winter Cup 2024 may have been a disappointing premiere to the season but the underdogs of the sport, and the three Olympic all-around champions of the gymnastics roster—Simone Biles, Gabby Douglas, and Sunisa Lee—are waiting their turn to shine the brightest in the coming months leading up to the Paris Olympics. With such big names vying for a spot in the five-member USA team, it won’t be wrong to assume that the four-day Olympic Trials, starting on June 27-30 at Target Center in Minneapolis, will make up for the lost time and entertainment.