US gymnastics championships: What's at stake for Simone Biles, others in leadup to Paris
No American gymnast has won more all-around national championships than Simone Biles' eight.
And this weekend, she hopes to make it nine.
Biles will be the headliner at the U.S. gymnastics championships in Fort Worth, Texas this week — the last and most significant competition before the U.S. Olympic trials at the end of next month. The start of the Paris Olympics is now less than two months away.
Biles, 27, won the all-around national title last year and is a safe bet to make the Olympic team regardless of her performance this weekend. The event carries more significance for the women hoping to join her, including regining Olympic gold medalists Suni Lee (all-around) and Jade Carey (floor exercise), among many others. Gabby Douglas, the 2012 all-around Olympic champion, will not be competing after announcing her withdrawal Wednesday.
The U.S. championships will also be a pivotal event for the men, where Brody Malone, Fred Richard, Yul Moldauer and Asher Hong are among those trying to position themselves for Olympic team inclusion.
More gymnastics news:Gabby Douglas withdraws from national championships, ending bid for Paris
Here's everything you need to know about the 2024 U.S. gymnastics championships.
When are the 2024 U.S. gymnastics championships?
The U.S. championships will run from Thursday to Sunday at Dickies Arena, located a few miles west of downtown Fort Worth. The senior men will compete Thursday night and Saturday night, with the women in action Friday and Sunday.
Unlike the Olympics, where there are separate all-around and apparatus finals, the national championships will consist of two all-around sessions in each gender. More than 50 athletes will also be competing in the junior competition.
Full 2024 U.S. gymnastics championships schedule
Thursday, 8 p.m. to 10:30 p.m. ET: Senior Men, Day 1
Friday, 2:45 p.m. to 5 p.m. ET: Senior Women (Session 1), Day 1
Friday, 7:45 p.m. to 10 p.m. ET: Senior Women (Session 2), Day 1
Saturday, 8 p.m. to 10:30 p.m. ET: Senior Men, Day 2
Sunday, 1:45 p.m. to 4 p.m. ET: Senior Women (Session 1), Day 2
Sunday, 6:45 p.m. to 9 p.m. ET: Senior Women (Session 2), Day 2
When does Simone Biles compete at the U.S. gymnastics championships?
Biles will compete in Session 2. That means she, and the other big names on the women's side, will be in action starting at around 8 p.m. ET on Friday night and around 7 p.m. ET on Sunday night.
How to watch the 2024 U.S. gymnastics championships
The first half of senior competition for both the men and women will air live on Peacock, which is NBC's streaming platform, and then on a tape delay on CNBC on Saturday — with the men's session airing from 12 to 2:30 p.m. ET and the women's session from 2:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m.
The second and final session of men's competition will then air live on both Peacock and CNBC, while the second session of senior women's competition, which will feature Biles, will receive the most prestigious television slot: A primetime broadcast window on NBC on Sunday.
How to see live results from the U.S. gymnastics championships
USA Gymnastics will be providing live results of the women's competition, including Biles' pursuit of a ninth all-around national championship, on its website here.
The men's results can be viewed here.
What's at stake at the U.S. gymnastics championships
Because this weekend's event is the last one before the U.S. Olympic gymnastics trials, it is an important showcase for everyone who is hoping to book a ticket to the 2024 Paris Games.
On the women's side, the top two all-around finishers at the U.S. championships will automatically earn a spot at the Olympic trials, where they will be joined by a minimum of 10 other athletes invited at the discretion of USA Gymnastics. Of the 12 or more who compete at the Olympic trials, only five will make Team USA, not including alternates.
On the men's side, the U.S. championships carry even more weight, because the scores accumulated there will factor in to the scoring matrices that will help pick the men's Olympic team. While the women's team is discretionary, the men's team is selected based on the best combined scoring scenario of five gymnasts, using data from the U.S. championships and Olympic trials.