PARIS, France — One day before the Opening Ceremony at the Paris Olympics, some athletes are getting their first look and feel for where they'll be competing.
That includes members of the U.S. Women's Gymnastics team, who had an opportunity to practice at Bercy Arena on Thursday.
Defending Olympic All-Around gold medalist Suni Lee had a strong showing at podium training ahead of her second Olympics. The St. Paul native returns to the summer games following multiple kidney-related issues that limited training and initially made her doubt whether she could return to Olympic competition. However, support from team doctors and her longtime coach Jess Graba led to a strong second-place All-Around finish at the U.S. Olympic Trials in her home state of Minnesota last month.
Meanwhile, 2016 All-Around champion Simone Biles is looking to complete a comeback of her own in Paris, after withdrawing from the competition in Tokyo to focus on her mental and physical health. At an age where most gymnasts are simply trying to hold onto their skills — if they haven't already retired — the 27-year-old Houston native may be as good as ever, as evidenced by her dominating performance at the U.S. Olympic Trials.
Biles and Lee lead an experienced Team USA into the Olympic gymnastics competition in Paris, where they'll be joined by 2020 floor exercise gold medalist Jade Carey, 2020 silver medalist Jordan Chiles, and 16-year-old newcomer Hezly Rivera.
Women's gymnastics qualifications begin early Sunday morning U.S. time in Paris. Watch full coverage on NBC or streaming on NBC Olympics starting at 5:10 a.m. ET / 4:10 a.m. CT.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
