Not Shilese Jones, but Suni Lee Is Simone Biles’ Biggest Competitor, Claims Gymnastics Community: ‘Nipping at Her Heels’

With only 37 days left until USA Gymnastics announces its women’s Olympic team in Minneapolis on June 27th, excitement is building. But before that, the athletes had to compete in the U.S. Classic on May 18th in Hartford, where Simone Biles, the sport’s most decorated athlete, showcased her unmatched talent by winning with a stellar score of 59.500 in her season debut.

Yet, amidst Biles’ stellar performance, another standout emerged in the form of Shilese Jones, affirming her status as Team USA’s formidable contender. Jones dazzled spectators with her remarkable prowess across all four events, particularly shining on the uneven bars, highlighted by a newly laid-out Jaeger release element. Her score of 15.250 on the uneven bars surpassed even Simone Biles’s 14.550.

While Biles is undoubtedly a frontrunner for Paris, Jones appears to be the closest contender. However, this situation has sparked debates within the gymnastics community about whether Jones is indeed Biles’ biggest rival. Interestingly, many in the community believe that the 21-year-old  Tokyo 2020 all-around champion, Suni Lee, might actually pose a greater challenge to Biles.

Suni Lee, who returned to the gymnastics mat after battling two kidney diseases, showcased her skills in US Classics. She competed only on three apparatus: vault, beam, and floor. Despite her limited performance, Lee soared on the beam and scored an impressive 14.600, surpassing Simone Biles, who secured 14.550.

After witnessing Lee’s remarkable performance, fans took to Reddit to discuss their thoughts on a thread titled “Shilese Jones: Nipping at Simone’s Heels.” Users shared their perspectives on whether Suni or Shilese is the biggest competitor for Simone Biles.

Simone Biles vs. Jones vs. Lee – Who will reign supreme?

Among the multitude of fans, a few voices stood out. One fan noted, “Suni beat Simone on day 1 of Olympic Trials quals in 2021. Simone herself has said that friendly competition motivates her.” Lee’s exceptional performance at the U.S. Olympic Trials emphasized her talent, as she finished second in the all-around, trailing only Simone Biles in the finals.

Another fan offered insight into Simone’s challenges, suggesting they originated from day 2 rather than day 1 of the Olympic Trials. They pointed out, “On day 2, Simone was off, fell on the balance beam, and went out of bounds on floor, I think. That mental state continued into the Olympics.”

This perspective implies that Simone’s difficulties on day 2 could have affected her mindset, possibly impacting her performance at the Olympics as well. Indeed, this notion resonates with Simone’s experience during the Tokyo Olympics, where she ultimately withdrew from five out of her six events due to twisties.

Another fan chimed in, echoing the sentiment, “1.85 points is a huge gap in gymnastics. None of the upgrades I’ve seen described for Shilese are going to close that gap. I don’t think she can win without multiple serious mistakes from Simone.” This observation underscores the significant disparity between Simone Biles and Shilese Jones in the U.S. Classics, where Biles scored 59.500 compared to Jones’ 57.650.

Another fan weighed in, emphasizing the magnitude of the 1.85-point gap, stating, “Do you realize how big a gap 1.85 points is? And Simone didn’t even perform at her full difficulty on the beam. Unless Simone falls 2 times and/or has major deductions on every apparatus, this isn’t going to happen.” This comment underscores the substantial difference in scores and highlights the improbability of Shilese Jones overtaking Simone Biles unless Simone experiences significant mistakes or deductions in her routines.

Another fan further elaborated on the comparison between Shilese Jones and Simone Biles, stating, “Probably not. I think a 14 is probably Shi’s max on floor whereas Simone has room to clean up her Biles II and score a bit higher. On vault, Shi isn’t upgrading, so she has a 1.4 gap in difficulty plus the fact that the Biles II has fewer built-in deductions if Simone lands it. On bars, Shi has the obvious advantage but she is unlikely to outpace Simone by more than a point there. And on beam, Simone’s difficulty and consistency are so high.”

This analysis delves into the technical aspects of each gymnast’s routines, highlighting the strengths and potential challenges they face in competition, ultimately emphasizing Simone Biles’ versatility and room for improvement compared to Shilese Jones’ current capabilities.

These comments dissect the competitive dynamics between Simone Biles, Shilese Jones, and Suni Lee in elite gymnastics. They underscore the significant score gap between Simone Biles and Jones while acknowledging Lee’s past victories over Biles and her potential impact on the competition.