ST. LOUIS — At times during Simone Biles’ routines Friday night, the crowd in the Dome at America’s Center seemed to hold its collective breath and refrain from noise, as if the world’s best gymnast might falter.
As usual, she emerged from her performances on the bars and balance beam with the slightest of blemishes. When she stepped onto the stage for her floor exercise at the U.S. Olympic trials, the buzz was more about anticipation.
She was the lone performer in the middle of a football stadium with 17,503 sets of eyes glued to the spot. When it ended, most fans were on their feet, which is where Biles always lands.
The defending Olympic champion and everything else champion looked unbeatable as she has for years, finishing the night in first place a good distance ahead of those competing for the other three spots on the U.S. team.
Three of the favorites to make the Olympic team — Biles, Suni Lee and Jordan Chiles — performed in succession throughout the night, making for an intriguing sequence. That’s the order they finished at the U.S. Gymnastics Championships in early June, and that was the order Friday.
The women will have four gymnasts on the team along with two individual performers. The top two finishers in all-around at the trials will make the team along with two picked by the selection committee. Jade Carey already has been named to one of the individual spots, and the committee will choose the other.
Ultimately, the four-member team has three slots open.
There was a point when MyKayla Skinner thought she might be competing for an individual spot after being an alternate for the 2016 team. She now finds herself in the mix to make the group of four and was fourth Friday.
“When I first came back, I wanted to do just individual because floor and vault are kind of my events I specialize in,” Skinner said this week. “They said, ‘We really want you for overall.’ Trying to get back on all four events was a little difficult but actually it came back naturally. It would be awesome to be on the team after being an alternate. There’s no feeling like being an alternate. It’s super hard being out there with the team, and not being able to compete is kind of brutal in a way.”
Biles started on her weakest apparatus — the uneven bars. Even so, she was third behind Lee and Riley McCusker, who could contend for an individual spot. Biles was first on the floor, balance beam and vault.
She had a wobble or two on the beam but finished with a double-twisting, double back dismount that was nearly flawless. She is coming off her seventh U.S. championship.
Kara Eaker, who is from the Kansas City area, finished seventh for the night with her best performance being third place on the balance beam.
“Some things could have been better, but overall I was pleased with what I did,” she said. “I look forward to practicing Saturday and Day 2 (Sunday). I thought I did good in all my events.”
Carey started strong on one of her specialties, the vault, with a score of 15.20. However, she fell on the uneven bars and ended up 14th but knows she has the individual slot in the Olympics locked up.
Lee and Chiles looked like strong candidates and could be in a battle for the second automatic team spot based on the all-around standings after Sunday.
Lee was first on the bars and second on the beam but might need to improve her floor exercise and vault. Chiles was fourth on the bars and beam and also strong on the vault.
Grace McCallum was fifth and could be a sleeper. She was second on the floor exercise and consistent throughout her routines. She said this week that the cancellation of the 2020 Olympics worked in her favor and she’s trying to take advantage.
“Having an extra year was really, really nice,” she said. “It gave me more time to compete and add more skills plus it was an extra year in the elite system. I took it as a positive.”
The men return to action Saturday afternoon. The Olympic team and one individual performer for the Olympics will be named following that session.
