Meet the 2016 US Women's Olympic Gymnastics Team The gymnasts defended the gold medal in Rio. SAN JOSE, Calif., July 1, 2012 – USA Gymnastics today announced the gymnasts who will represent the United States in women’s gymnastics at the 2012 Olympic Games in London. ST. Like Brooks and Naddour, few know better how important the alternate role is. The Lowdown: When will the Olympic gymnastics teams be announced? NPR transcripts are created on a rush deadline by Verb8tm, Inc., an NPR contractor, and produced using a proprietary transcription process developed with NPR. She and Raisman, 22, became the first U.S. women's gymnasts to make back-to-back Olympic teams since 2000. For athletes, being able to represent your country at the Olympics is a lifetime achievement. They’re in a hard spot to be in, but I know that they’ll take it seriously and they’ll do everything they can to be ready.”, Your California Privacy Rights/Privacy Policy. And it's just been my dream since I've been a little girl. The USA has already qualified for a spot for rhythmic gymnastics, synchronized trampoline, tumbling and double mini-trampoline. August 9, 2016, 9:49 PM • … RAGAN SMITH: I'm just thrilled that I'm here and I'm an alternate for the team. MyKayla Skinner, Ragan Smith and Ashton Locklear were named as alternates. No alternates in the Olympic Village. All rights reserved. Paul Hamm was injured. Simone Biles, Gabby Douglas, Laurie Hernandez, Madison Kocian, and Aly Raisman were named to the 2016 U.S. Olympic Team following the conclusion of the Olympic Trials on July 10 in San Jose, California.Ashton Locklear, MyKayla Skinner, and Ragan Smith were named as alternates. They’re great guys. SAP Center Dates. And you know, it's just something that you have to take it and, you know, hold it dear to yourself. Am I not going to compete? LEWIS: Bhavsar says the lesson for him was to learn perseverance and belief in himself. They're alternates. Copyright © 2016 NPR. The alternates for the team are MyKayla Skinner, ... Gabrielle Douglas competes on the vault during the first day of the 2016 U.S. Olympic women’s gymnastics team trials at SAP Center in … 319 gymnasts across all three disciplines (artistic gymnastics, rhythmic gymnastics and trampoline) participated in the Games. July 8-10 Guaranteed Spot. I've never posted here before, but I found this article from post-Olympic Trials in 2016 and had to share this in retrospect hilarious quote detailing what's going to happen next for Ragan Smith and MyKayla Skinner. After two weekends and four days of competition, the U.S.A. Men’s Olympic Gymnastics Team has been named. Simone Biles, Gabby Douglas headline U.S. Olympic gymnastics team Simone Biles, Gabby Douglas and Aly Raisman headline the U.S. women’s gymnastics team that will compete at the Rio Olympics. As NPR's Russell Lewis reports, they train and prepare for the possibility they may replace a sick or injured teammate. Simone Biles. U.S. men's Olympic gymnastics team for Rio is: Sam Mikulak, Jake Dalton, Chris Brooks, Alex Naddour & John Orozco. ST. LOUIS — Better than any others, Chris Brooks and Alex Naddour can understand the frustration of serving as Olympic alternates. Accuracy and availability may vary. All gymnastics events were staged at the Arena Olímpica do Rio from 6 to 21 August 2016. They don't stay in the athletes village, don't get a medal if the team wins one and, like a spectator, must sit in the stands to watch the competition. They want to be in the Olympics but not at the expense of an injured teammate. Thankful that those guys have my back.”. He says being an alternate is difficult because it's less about the sport and more about life. Danell Leyva and Donnell Whittenburg are alternates for Rio Olympics. Unlike his more experienced teammates, Modi was thrilled to make it as an alternate. In addition to the all-around bronze he won in London, Leyva has five medals from world championships, three from this quadrennium alone. And I just can't believe I'm here. Two days before departing for Beijing, Bhavsar learned he would compete after all. Alternate(s) Ashton Locklear Mykayla Skinner Ragan Smith. He finished sixth overall here, and could provide support on pommel horse and parallel bars should the Americans need a replacement. “But we know that it wasn’t perfect and we know there were some places to improve on. San Jose, USA Venue. Bhavsar and fellow alternate Sasha Artemev both wound up competing at the Beijing Olympics after Paul and Morgan Hamm were injured. 2012 U.S. Olympic Trials. Gymnastics at the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro was held in three categories: artistic gymnastics, rhythmic gymnastics and trampolining. The 2016 U.S. Olympic Women's Gymnastics Team Trials, referred to as the 2016 U.S. Olympic Trials, was held from July 8 through July 10, 2016 at the SAP Center in San Jose, California. And this group saw Brooks replace Mikulak after he partially tore an Achilles going into last year’s worlds. “Two world medalists in our three alternates, I feel that speaks for itself,” said Brooks. 2016 Olympic Gymnastics Trials and Team Selection. I couldn't believe it. Men: The Olympic team will be announced June 26, 2015 after the men's Olympic Trials, with the alternates announced on June 27. Armour: U.S. men's Olympic gymnastics team's best quality is its resolve. Simone Biles, Aly Raisman, Gabby Douglas, Laurie Hernandez, and Madison Kocian have been named to the 2016 women’s U.S. Olympic Gymnastics Team following the conclusion of the Olympic Team Trials in San Jose, California. It definitely went as planned as far as the routines.”. 0. And in Donnell Whittenburg, they have a medalist from the most recent world championships. The members of the U.S. women's Olympic gymnastics team for the 2016 Rio Olympics are: Simone Biles; Gabby Douglas; Madison Kocian; Laurie Hernandez; Aly Raisman; The three alternates are MyKayla Skinner, Ragan Smith and Ashton Locklear. “That’s definitely one area I wanted to work on,” Whittenburg said, “but stuff happens in gymnastics so you just have to learn how to keep that on the back burner and focus on what’s ahead of you, so that’s what I’m gonna do now.”. “To have those guys as an alternate, it really shows that this is a ridiculously strong team. Succeeded by. Both Brooks and Naddour were alternates for the 2012 team… Happy guys. But there are some athletes at the Rio de Janeiro games who won't compete at all. Add Akash Modi, a Stanford senior who finished sixth overall in the four rounds of U.S. championships and Olympic trials that determined the team, and the members of the U.S. team selected here Saturday feel confident. Simone Biles. The alternates are MyKayla Skinner, Ragan Smith, and Ashton Locklear. “I was very happy with the way that I performed. This is a list of the gymnasts who represented their country at the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil from 5–21 August 2016. But he struggled at nationals, missing weeks of training in the lead-up after he was bitten by his dogs breaking up a fight. By Brandon Penny | June 26, 2016, 3:14 p.m. (ET) (L-R) Danell Leyva, Akash Modi and Donnell Whittenburg were named as alternates in men's gymnastics for the 2016 U.S. Olympic Team. The two-time NCAA champion has been preparing for trials since taking silver in the NCAA all-around this spring. Hear what these Olympians had to say immediately after the competition. In Danell Leyva, they have the all-around bronze medalist from London. The Final Five was the United States women's team in artistic gymnastics that won the team event at the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro. TOPSHOT - US gymnast Madison Kocian prepares to compete in the Uneven Bars event during the women's team final Artistic Gymnastics at the Olympic Arena during the Rio 2016 Olympic Games in … Once the sport gets underway, they are no longer able to compete. Visit our website terms of use and permissions pages at www.npr.org for further information. The 2016 World Championships are the qualifying competition for the 2017 World Games, the Olympic Games equivalent for non-Olympic events, in Wroclaw, Poland. General. Smith, who is just 15 years old, can afford to be more happy. “That’s how deep we are and that’s how great this team can be. After two nights of 18 men competing in Hartford, Connecticut, at the P&G Championships and two more nights in St. Louis for the U.S. 2016 Olympic Gymnastics Trials and Team Selection. Naddour and Brooks, alternates on the 2012 men’s gymnastics team, will join Mikulak, Dalton and Orozco in Rio de Janeiro in August after earning a spots on the U.S. team Saturday night. That means Williams and all the Rio 2016 alternates will miss out on the 3,600 luxury apartments, rec rooms, spas, swimming pools, state-of-the-art gyms, private sections on Barra da Tijuca beach, buffets, friendships, and the festive sense of belonging that comes with an Olympic credential. 2016 Olympic Trials Official logo: City. Here's 15-year-old Ragan Smith just after she learned she was going to Rio but likely not to compete on the five-woman squad. Official Olympic Team. By admin Son Güncelleme Dec 3, 2020. Bhavsar ended up winning a bronze medal. So if an Olympian is injured during the event, they can't be replaced. For Whittenburg, the bronze medalist on vault at last year’s world championships, the decision came after he finished fourth overall. Following the conclusion of U.S. Olympic Trials at Chaifetz Arena on Saturday, Sam Mikulak, Jake Dalton and John Orozco were all named to … RUSSELL LEWIS, BYLINE: To understand the highs and lows of being selected as an Olympic alternate, listen to these two gymnasts. The United States men's Olympic gymnastics team will be led by Sam Mikulak. Preceded by. Her international experience includes a team gold medal and vault bronze medal at the 2014 World Championships. 18 gymnasts competed at the Olympic Trials over … I’m very happy with how my routines went,” Leyva said on Sunday. Olympic Alternates Face Challenges In Training To Possibly Compete ... he was selected as an alternate to the U.S. men's Olympic gymnastics team. He tried out for the 2008 Olympic team in Beijing, again chosen as an alternate. Like, am I going to compete? The five members of the team were Simone Biles, Gabby Douglas, Laurie Hernandez, Madison Kocian, and Aly Raisman, with MyKayla Skinner, Ragan Smith, and Ashton … Trials, the selection committee for … Women: After the final day of women's Olympic Trials, on July 8, 2016. Chellsie Memmel — an alternate to the 2004 U.S. Olympic team, a member of the 2008 U.S. Olympic team and now a gymnastics judge — spotted it well … LEWIS: And here's Donnell Whittenburg after his selection as 1 of 3 alternate gymnasts chosen to travel to Rio. Club: World Champions Centre. The general rule? Paylaşın. Simone Biles Gabby Douglas Laurie Hernandez Madison Kocian Aly Raisman. On Sunday, she scored (in … That 2008 team wound up with a bronze medal. It's not easy being an alternate. But he was inconsistent in trying to qualify for his first Olympic team, and he wasn’t as strong on his strongest events – vault, still rings and parallel bars – as some of the other gymnasts. LEWIS: It's an odd position for them all. It was Leyva who was most notably not on the team, which includes 2012 Olympians Sam Mikulak, Jake Dalton and John Orozco. The alternates are in Rio and training just as though they'll be in the competition. It was the United States' third gold medal in the event and second outside the United States. By RICKI HARRIS. But with both making the U.S. team for Rio four years after they were alternates in London, they’re reassured by the depth of the gymnasts who will be there to fill in should anyone on the five-man team be unable to compete. Like Whittenburg, though, Leyva was clearly disappointed. Leyva said he felt he had made his case to the selection committee, which picked all five team members after no one made the team on the subjective criteria. 2020 U.S. Olympic Trials “I definitely still knew I was still in contention for the alternate spot, and I think I really showed that I can fill in just about any event, in any routine I’ll put everything I have out there.”. Relive Alabama's title Make Mondays better 's best, via + ️ + ️ = SUBSCRIBE NOW BHAVSAR: It's a challenge to go to the gym every day and stay Olympic-level ready and find the motivation to do so kind of with this looming unknown in the air. But because of that, you learn some of the greatest lessons. Rio Olympics 2016: What to know about each Team USA gymnast The Team USA roster for women's gymnastics is loaded, and here are the basics you need to know about each gymnast, including the alternates. How many athletes will be named to the team? After the competition Saturday, Raj Bhavsar approached Whittenburg and Leyva and told them to be ready to be called upon. LEWIS: Bhavsar ended up sitting in the stands, watching his teammates in Athens, Greece. There are two sets of athletes at the Olympic games: the athletes who will compete and the alternates who likely won't. Raj Bhavsar remembers the day well in 2004 when he was selected as an alternate to the U.S. men's Olympic gymnastics team. DONNELL WHITTENBURG: I mean it's definitely not the spot that I wanted, but you know, it's definitely a new role that I get to play. Author: “They have heart too. Russell Lewis, NPR News, Rio de Janeiro. This text may not be in its final form and may be updated or revised in the future. RAJ BHAVSAR: I had invested so much of my self-worth into that team selection that when that news hit me, I was devastated. Lucky guys. “As much as I wanted to be on that team, I kind of knew that I wasn’t going to be the best choice,” Modi said. 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