Gymnasts who could top Simone Biles for gold medals at 2020 Summer Olympics
Simone Biles is simply the best ... but will she be in Tokyo like she was in Rio?
(Jay Biggerstaff-USA TODAY Sports)
It would be a bad idea to bet against American gymnast star Simone Biles at this year's 2020 Summer Olympics (OK, so it's actually 2021; let's just finally forget about last year). After all, Biles, who's just 24, is favored to bring perhaps as many gold medals back to the U.S. as she did from the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro (four, including one bronze). She's at the top of her game, and Team USA is the favorite to win the women's gymnastics team final, but let's look at some unknowns to watch who could prevent her from procuring more individual precious medals and metal.
Nina Derwael (Belgium)
(BENOIT DOPPAGNE/Belga/Sipa USA Sipa via AP Images)
She's only 20, she's a two-time World and European champion on the uneven bars.
Alexa Moreno (Mexico)
(AP Photo/Matthias Schrader)
The 26-year-old is vying for her first Olympic medal and she would be the first Mexican woman to do so in gymnastics.
Alice Kinsella (Great Britain)
(DDP images/Sipa USA via AP Images)
Another 20-year-old making her Summer Olympics game debut, she's a European champion and figures to make the competition fierce.
Sunisa Lee (United States)
(Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports)
She's the one mostly likely to beat Biles in the all-around final, unless it's fellow American teammate ...
Jordan Chiles (United States)
(Grace Hollars-USA TODAY Sports)
She's a breakout star and she and Biles are the closest of friends, but that doesn't mean she's not going to go all out for a gold medal -- even against her bestie.
Viktoria Listunova (Russia)
(Alexandra Wey/Keystone via AP)
She won the all-around gold at the Junior World Championships in 2019, the European Championships in 2021 and also at the National Championships in 2021.
MyKayla Skinner (United States)
(AP Photo/AJ Mast)
She's incredible on the vault and so is this next American Olympian ...
Jade Carey (United States)
(Robert Deutsch-USA TODAY Network)
The U.S. might sweep this event.
Giulia Steingruber (Switzerland)
(AP Photo/Julio Cortez)
Another amazing vaulter. She won gold at the 2021 European Championships and was the 2016 Olympic bronze medalist in that competition.
Shallon Olsen (Canada)
(Andrew P. Scott-USA TODAY Sports)
Vault silver medalist at the 2018 World Championships and won gold at the 2018 Commonwealth Games.
Fan Yilin (China)
(Monika Skolimowska/picture-alliance/dpa/AP Images)
This 21-year-old is jaw-droppingly great on the uneven bars. More Olympics coverage: Medal count history: USA has dominated the Summer Olympics.
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