Forget what the calendar says. The Los Angeles Olympics start this week for the U.S. women's gymnastics team.
Paris Olympians Hezly Rivera and Jade Carey are among the 12 athletes who will compete at a selection camp Wednesday, Sept. 30, and Thursday, Oct. 1, to determine the five-woman team for next month's world championships. That's where the top three teams will earn spots for LA28 and where the Americans will be trying to extend a winning streak dating back to 2011.
"As long as you stay true to your goal and you stay on track, it's going to be fine. But have fun with the process. It's going to be absolutely incredible,” Simone Biles told USA TODAY Sports about her advice for this year's hopefuls.
“The girls are so talented," she added. “But
you're going to want to look back in four to five years and say, 'Wow, I had such a fun time doing all of this.'"
The top two-all around gymnasts automatically qualify for the U.S. team at this year's world championships, while a selection committee will choose the remaining three athletes based on who gives the Americans the best chance in team finals. Biles won't be part of that mix. The seven-time Olympic champion hasn't competed since the Paris Games and still hasn't decided whether she will in Los Angeles.
"No breaking news, sorry!" she said with a laugh.
What's at state heading into 2026 world championships
Considering the Americans qualified for Paris without Biles at the 2022 world championships, who will be at worlds looms as large for the Americans as her absence: For the first time since 2019, Russia will have a full team at worlds. And despite their long absence from the world stage due to Russia's unprovoked war on Ukraine, they will be a formidable opponent.
Russia is the only team that's beaten the United States since the 2008 Summer Games, winning gold at both the 2010 worlds and Tokyo Olympics, after Biles had to withdraw from the team final because of “the twisties.” At their first major competition since their ban was lifted, last month's European championships, the Russians beat reigning Olympic silver medalist Italy by more than three points while Angelina Melnikova and Anna Kalmykova went 1-2 in the all-around.
Melnikova also won gold on vault and bronzes on balance beam and floor exercise.
The Russians weren't at full strength at Europeans, either. Viktoria Listunova, part of their gold-medal team in Tokyo and the European all-around champion in 2021, missed the competition because she couldn’t get a visa to Croatia.
Listunova is expected to compete at worlds, however, having been included on Russia's nominative list of athletes.
Now, the U.S. women only need to finish in the top three to secure a spot at LA28 and they haven’t finished off the podium at worlds, or the Olympics, since 1999. Heck, they haven't finished worse than second since 2001.
There's also a second chance to qualify at next year’s worlds, where the remaining nine teams in the LA28 field will be decided.
But this is likely to be the biggest challenge the U.S. women have faced at worlds since they began their win streak in 2011. Besides Russia, Italy, China and Britain also will be battling for spots on the podium.
It's going to be an inexperienced group, too. Carey and Skye Blakely are the only gymnasts at the selection camp who've been to a team worlds. Three of the 12 hopefuls — Charleigh Bullock, Caroline Moreau and Lila Richardson — are in their first years at the senior level.
Even Rivera, who has won the last two U.S. titles to go with her team gold from Paris, will be making her worlds debut.
No matter where the Americans finish, though, these worlds will be invaluable. A new generation will come away with experience on the world stage, knowing what the competition format will be like in Los Angeles. They’ll also know who their competitors are, and what they’ll have to do to win gold on home soil.
“I'm so looking forward to worlds," Rivera said last month. "I think it's going to be really fun. And a really important competition."
Because LA28 starts now.
Follow USA TODAY Sports columnist Nancy Armour on social media @nrarmour.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: For US gymnastics, road to LA Olympics starts now
