Gymnasts balancing simultaneous college and elite careers is still a relatively new phenomenon. However, given the recent influx of international athletes joining NCAA teams and NIL allowing gymnasts the financial flexibility to pursue both disciplines, more and more college gymnasts are chasing their Olympic ambitions heading into the 2024 season. Here’s a brief rundown of who’s already locked in and who’s still in contention for the upcoming Games in Paris.
Punched a Ticket
Luisa Blanco, Alabama, Colombia
A few weeks after snagging silver on bars at the 2023 NCAA championships, then-senior Blanco announced her surprising return to elite competition after a five-year hiatus. This time around, she’s representing her parents’ home country, Colombia. Blanco followed up her all-around win at the 2023 Colombian national championships in July with an eighth-place finish at the 2023 Pan American Games, securing her individual berth to Paris.
Aleah Finnegan, LSU, Philippines
Last season’s NCAA silver medalist on floor, Finnegan finished 32nd in the all-around at the 2023 world championships to earn herself a spot at this summer’s Olympic Games. After competing as a U.S. elite before college, she made an elite comeback in 2022 with a nationality switch to the Philippines. Her older sister, Sarah Finnegan, is an LSU gymnastics legend and was an alternate for the 2012 U.S. Olympic team.
Csenge Bácskay, Nebraska, Hungary
The Husker sophomore has racked up over a dozen medals on the international elite circuit since turning senior in 2019. At the 2023 world championships, she led the Hungarian team to a 15th-place finish and earned an individual berth to Paris by qualifying for her second vault final in three years.
U.S. Contenders
Leanne Wong, Florida
An alternate for the last Olympic Games, Wong has become a collegiate superstar in addition to representing the U.S. at the last three world championships, winning gold with the team twice and earning silver in the all-around in 2021. Wong’s consistency as an all-arounder makes her incredibly reliable, and she could find a way onto the team this quad with her resume of impressive international results.
Jordan Chiles, UCLA
Since winning silver in Tokyo, Chiles not only helped jumpstart UCLA’s turnaround but won a trio of world championship medals in 2022 — gold with the team and silvers on vault and floor. She missed making the U.S. worlds team last year but was a leader on the winning Pan American Games squad and has the Olympic pedigree and talent to challenge for another Games. Chiles is undecided about a return to the Bruins after her full-time return to elite this season.
Kayla DiCello, Florida
One of 2023’s standout freshmen, DiCello has deferred the 2024 season to return to Maryland to train for this summer’s Games. She was an alternate for the world championship-winning team last year and won gold in the all-around and team competitions at the Pan American Games. With momentum and the experience of competing at Olympic Trials in 2021, DiCello is in the Olympic conversation once again.
Sunisa Lee, Auburn
The reigning Olympic all-around champion has forgone her final two years of college eligibility in hopes of defending her title. The same illness that held her out of her final college meets hampered her elite comeback this season as well, competing just vault and beam after limited training slowed her down. Still, you can never count out Lee, who has the steadiness and bars and beam supremacy to challenge for more Olympic hardware.
Trinity Thomas, Florida
An NCAA GOAT and one of the all-time perfect 10s leaders, Thomas announced she’s returning to elite competition after the conclusion of her collegiate career. She finished in the top 10 in the all-around at the U.S. championships from 2017 to 2019, and with improved consistency from dominating as a Gator, Thomas is an outside threat to challenge for her first Olympic appearance.
Jade Carey, Oregon State
The reigning Olympic floor champion will compete for the Beavers this season but will do so in a limited capacity as she prepares to earn an opportunity to defend her crown. Since her last Games, Carey won a pair of gold medals at the 2022 world championships but missed qualifying for the U.S. team last year. While we don’t know what her NCAA season will look like, we do know she has the ability to challenge for the Olympic team when she’s at her best on vault and floor.
Ready to take the stage 🤩 |
— LSU Gymnastics (@LSUgym)
Konnor McClain, LSU
To the delight of college gymnastics fans, McClain surprised many with her decision to compete for LSU this season instead of deferring to train for the Olympics, as she has the potential to be one of the nation’s best as a freshman. The 2022 U.S. national champion missed that year’s worlds and the entire 2023 elite season rehabbing injuries but impressed in the Tigers’ preseason showcase. If McClain is in top form, her elite comeback this summer will have her in contention for an Olympic berth.
Shilese Jones, Florida commit
It’s still unclear whether the longtime Florida five-star recruit will ever compete collegiately, but heading into the summer, Jones is already a near-lock for the U.S. team. In addition to her two world championship titles with the team the last two years, she’s also finished on the podium in the all-around and bars finals in that same time frame. Jones’ balance as an all-arounder and complementary specialty event to Simone Biles makes her a likely name to see in Paris.
Zoe Miller, LSU commit
A bars aficionado, Miller has made a name for herself in the elite landscape primarily because of her signature event. She’s one of the best bar workers in the world when she hits, as she showcased in winning team and bars gold at the Pan American Games, and could earn herself a ticket to Paris if the U.S. roster is in need of a standout specialist on a vault and floor heavy team.
Joscelyn Roberson, Arkansas commit
Roberson was the breakout star for the U.S. over the summer, proving to be the nation's strongest vault and floor performer not named Simone Biles. She took home gold on vault at nationals and earned a gold medal with the team at the world championships, but she suffered an injury warming up for the team final and was unable to compete further. Barring complications with her recovery, Roberson is a major factor when making the team for Paris.
Skye Blakely, Florida commit
The younger sister of current Florida standout Sloane Blakely, five-star recruit Skye Blakely is a two-time world champion and longtime member of Team USA. After withdrawing from the 2021 Olympic Trials due to an injury in warmups, she bounced back with a vengeance as her bars and beam have been an integral part of the U.S.’s international success. She’s the newest member of the elite-to-Gator pipeline.
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Tiana Sumanasekera, UCLA commit
Five-star recruit Sumanasekera headlines the Bruins’ currently third-ranked 2025 recruiting class and has an outside shot of landing on the U.S. team this year. In her first season as a senior elite, she placed top-10 at nationals on beam and in the all-around before winning team gold as a member of the Pan American Games squad.
Kaliya Lincoln, LSU commit
An underdog heading into last summer, the five-star recruit and future Tiger outperformed expectations to finish the year as a two-time Pan American Games champion and a legitimate threat for Paris. Lincoln’s explosiveness and consistency on vault and floor not only fit LSU’s M.O. but could be valuable on a U.S. team that could otherwise be bars-heavy.
Bonus: Grace McCallum, Utah
While the six-time All-American and 2021 Olympic silver medalist hasn’t announced anything related to an elite comeback, fans are speculating about the possibility, as the Red Rock has added elite difficulty to her routines ahead of the 2024 season. The changes to her routine composition should not only help her maximize her NCAA scores but also prep her well for a run at a second game. Keep an eye on McCallum.
Around the World
Ana Padurariu, UCLA, Canada
Padurariu etched her name amongst Canadian gymnastics legends after she won a silver medal on beam at the 2018 World Championships before retiring from the elite in 2020 and beginning her collegiate career. In the spirit of a few Bruins teammates, she announced an elite comeback a few months ago, deferring her 2024 NCAA season in pursuit of representing Canada in Paris.
Emma Spence, Nebraska, Canada
A longtime member of the Canadian national team, Spence has a trio of Commonwealth Games bronze medals on her resume in addition to helping the team win bronze at the 2022 World Championships — the first team medal for the country. After she finishes up her junior season competing for the Huskers, expect her to be in contention for a trip to her first Olympic Games.
Lynnzee Brown, Denver/Penn State, Haiti
After cementing herself as a Pioneer legend by finishing her six-year NCAA career with a fourth-place all-around finish at the NCAA championships in 2023, the now Nittany Lion assistant coach made her world championships debut over the summer representing Haiti. While she hasn’t secured a spot yet, she’ll have additional opportunities before the Games begin.
Sandra Elsadek, Ball State/Georgia, Egypt
After transferring from Ball State to Georgia to finish out her NCAA career last season, Elsadek began training for an elite debut and was able to compete for Egypt at the world championships over the summer. She’s yet to clinch a ticket to Paris, but as one of Africa’s top gymnasts, she may have the opportunity to.
😍 will always be our boo!
— UCLA Gymnastics (@uclagymnastics)
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Emma Malabuyo, UCLA, Canada
A former U.S. national team member and 2021 Olympic Trials participant, Malabuyo reignited her elite career over the summer, competing for the Philippines and winning a silver medal on floor at the Asian Games. She wasn’t able to lock up a spot in Paris like fellow countrywoman Finnegan but recently announced she’ll miss a few meets competing for UCLA this season while on the World Cup circuit trying to secure her ticket.
Anya Pilgrim, Florida, Barbados
Another former U.S. elite, Pilgrim spent her summer competing for Barbados at the Pan American Games and world championships. She’s one of 2024’s freshmen to watch and could use a successful season competing for Florida as momentum for a ticket to Paris or future elite aspirations.
Aurélie Tran, Iowa commit, Canada
Tran was one of the Canadians who did double duty this summer, competing at the world championships and the Pan American Games — winning a team bronze medal at the latter. The five-star recruit also made the all-around, bars, beam, and floor finals at Pan Ams, showing how valuable she could be for Canada this summer.
Ondine Achampong, California commit, Great Britain
The five-star recruit has a world championships silver medal on her resume, making her the most anticipated Golden Bears commit potentially ever. She’s been an integral all-arounder for Great Britain since her senior debut in 2020, and her experience could help her land a spot on the team for Paris.
Ava Stewart, Minnesota commit, Canada
Stewart made her senior international debut at the 2021 Olympic Games after becoming age-eligible due to the postponement. Since then, she’s been an integral part of Canada’s success on the international stage, winning bronze with the team and on beam at the Pan American Games in 2023. She’ll be a major factor in building the Canadian team this year.
Kaia Tanskanen, Missouri commit, Finland
Competing elite since 2018, Tanskanen has represented Finland at the last two European and world championships. The four-star recruit and 2023 Finnish all-around champion is set to join Missouri next season after a possible trip to her first Olympics.
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Cassie Lee, Iowa commit, Canada
The future Hawkeye has had a successful international career competing for Canada, qualifying for a pair of world championships and winning a bronze medal at last summer’s Pan American Games as well as the 2022 Commonwealth Games. Lee stands out on beam but has produced strong all-around results that have her in contention for the Canadian team to Paris.
Olivia Kelly, Missouri commit, Barbados
Similar to the other future Tiger, Kelly will join Missouri next season after she tries for Paris. Although yet to secure a spot, Kelly has spent the last two summers competing internationally for Barbados, including two appearances at the world championships.
Annalise Newman-Achee, California, Trinidad and Tobago
Following the 2021 elite season, Newman-Achee switched from competing domestically to competing for Trinidad and Tobago and was able to compete at the 2022 World Championships. The former five-star recruit joined California this year and could contend for a spot at the Olympics if she continues elite after the NCAA season.
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