MINNEAPOLIS — While the Summer Games in Paris are still weeks away, Minnesotans won't have to wait that long to see some of the best American athletes up close and personal as they compete for their coveted spot on Team USA.
This year's U.S. Olympic Team Trials - Gymnastics will be held in Minneapolis' Target Center and will feature two of our state's very own: 21-year-old Sunisa Lee (St. Paul), all-around gold medalist at the 2020 games, and Shane Wiskus (Spring Park), 25, who also competed on Team USA in Tokyo.
Lee and Wiskus are joined by 15 other women and 19 men vying for their place in Paris. Only five will be chosen to represent the United States on either team, as well as two alternates each. The top-ranked athletes in the all-around event will automatically make Team USA, while the remaining competitors will be chosen by a selection committee.
The committee will decide who advances depending on their performances at this week's trials, as well as results from other recent performances.
Here's what else you need to know for a front-row seat along the journey to Paris.
COMPETITION SCHEDULE
The Minneapolis Convention Center will host the USA Gymnastics Championships for rhythmic gymnastics, acrobatic gymnastics and trampoline and tumbling, beginning Friday, June 21 and running through Wednesday, June 26.
Also taking place at the convention center, visitors can experience the USAG National Congress and Trade Show from Friday, June 28 through Sunday, June 30, as well as the USA Gymnastics for All National Championships and Gymfest from June 26 to June 30.
The Olympic Trials, spanning June 27 to June 30, will follow at Target Center. That's where fans can watch elite artistic gymnasts, like Lee, Simone Biles and Jordan Chiles, work their way toward punching their tickets to Paris.
The men's team trials officially begin on June 27, while the women's competition begins on Friday, June 28. The men will then wrap competition on Saturday, followed by the women on Sunday. Both teams will be announced in the hours following their respective competitions.
TEAM TRIAL EVENTS
The men compete in six events. They include parallel bars, pommel horse, rings, horizontal bar, vault and the floor exercise.
As for the women, their events include vault, uneven bars, balance beam and the floor exercise.
EVENTS OUTSIDE OF COMPETITION
Flip Zone presented by Target is the official fan fest of Gymnastics USA and kicks off June 27. Visitors to the fest at Target Plaza at Target Field can try their skills on gymnastics equipment like bars and rings, and enjoy various entertainment, music, demonstrations, food and beverages.
Promenade du Nord will also take place Friday through Sunday on Nicollet Mall between 7th and 12th Streets at Peavy Plaza. Organizers say the "Parisian street fair" will include food, vendors, entertainment and more.
TICKETS
If you haven't scored your tickets yet, you can still get all-session passes encompassing four days of competition at Target Center for $450. Day passes are available on secondary markets.
Passes to attend every Convention Center event begin at $120, while day passes can be purchased for between $37 and $57.
Gymfest all-session passes begin at $60 with day passes available for $15-$20, and onsite registration for the trade show costs $300 for members and $400 for nonmembers.
HOW TO WATCH
- Thursday, June 27 (Men's Day 1): USA Network, Peacock 5:30-8 p.m.
- Friday, June 28 (Women's Day 1): Peacock 6:30-9 p.m.; KARE 11 & Peacock 7-9 p.m.
- Saturday, June 29 (Men's Day 2): KARE 11 & Peacock 2-5 p.m.
- Sunday, June 30 (Women's Day 2): KARE 11 & Peacock 7:30-10 p.m.
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