MINNEAPOLIS — The U.S. Olympic Gymnastics Team Trials are underway from Target Center in downtown Minneapolis.
KSHB 41 News reporter Elyse Schoenig made the short trip north from Kansas City to cover this weekend’s events. Two Kansas City gymnasts are competing for a spot in Paris: Leanne Wong, who was selected as an alternate for Team USA in 2021, and Eveylynn Lowe.
Check back throughout this weekend for updates from Elyse.
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UPDATE, Sunday, 10 p.m. | The U.S. Women's Olympic Gymnastics team is selected.
It's finally that time! Simone Biles, Jordan Chiles, Sunisa Lee, Jade Carey and Hezly Rivera were selected as the five athletes to represent Team USA at the Paris Olympics.
KC native Leanne Wong and Joscelyn Roberson were selected as alternate athletes.
Wong spoke with KSHB 41 News reporter Elyse Schoenig moments after she learned she was packing her bags for Paris!
UPDATE, Sunday, 7 p.m. | Night two of competition at the U.S. Olympic Gymnastics Trials is underway.
Leanne Wong, who served as a Team USA alternate at the 2021 Tokyo Olympics, said she's using what she learned from that experience heading into the final night.
"It's just crazy to be in that position because I was once those little girls looking up to the highest level athletes," Wong said.
Sixteen-year-old Eveylynn Lowe, who trains at the Blue Springs gym Wong grew up training at, said she has "everything to gain" from her experience at the trials.
"I feel good, definitely ready to get back out there and do better than last time," Lowe said. "I think I can do it. I know I can do it."
UPDATE, Sunday, 1:15 p.m. | Missouri is well represented in Minneapolis this weekend.
In addition to Kansas City-area gymnasts Leanne Wong and Eveylynn Lowe, coach Shari Mann, of Columbia, was selected to judge.
"I'm one of 10 judges in the country that have the opportunity to judge," Mann said.
Mann and her husband, Johnathan Liddle, own Authority Gymnastics in Columbia. She's also a highly decorated gymnast herself.
But as a judge, she said wanting to get everything right can be nerve-wracking, especially with a pool of such talented athletes.
"I think it's going to be very difficult to pick who makes this Olympic team," Mann said.
Nevertheless, her advice to all athletes — especially Wong and Lowe, who Mann said she's excited to watch their journeys play out — is to "be confident."
"You earned this spot. Go out there and show your stuff," Mann said.
This year was Mann's second year to judge at the trials. She was chosen to score for the vault and beam events.
UPDATE, Sunday, 12:15 p.m. | Gymnast Leanne Wong said this year's trials feel like a bonus.
"I've already been through this," she said. "I've tried for the Olympic team once, didn't quite reach my goals, but I've been given a second chance, and so I'm just thankful for this opportunity."
Outside of gymnastics, Leanne is a straight-A premed student, published author and bow business owner.
"Being a role model to young girls is very important to her," Bee Ding said of her daughter Leanne. "She has really accomplished a lot at the age of 20, and I just hope and pray she will continue to be a role model to everybody in this world, and in the gymnastics world."
Before the second night of the competition kicks off Sunday, Leanne told KSHB 41 News reporter Elyse Schoenig she has nothing to lose.
"She should be proud of herself just to even be here, to compete with the best in the world," said Marco Wong, Leanne's dad.
Coverage of the second day of the trials begins at 7:30 p.m. CT on NBC.
UPDATE, Saturday, 3:30 p.m. | Eveylynn Lowe and her parents speak with KSHB 41 news reporter Elyse Schoenig.
Eveylynn Lowe is a force! The 16-year-old Kansas City native trains at GAGE Center in Blue Springs.
Her parents said she's been a ball of fire since she was two, and that's easy to spot every time she performs. Eveylynn said she has some things to work on going into night two, but she's confident she can do what she needs to do.
"I feel good, definitely ready to get back out there and do better than last time," she said. "But I think I can do it. I know I can do it."
For Eveylynn's parents, Bobbe and Rachelle, this experience is surreal.
"Watching my daughter accomplish something that she's worked for her whole life and just walking in to all the crowds and seeing everybody, it's amazing to me," Rachelle said.
They both remember the previous few Olympic Trials, where they would bring Eveylynn to watch. Now, she's one of the big names competing.
"You just light up," Bobbe said. "Your heart lights up. It's awesome."
With the nature of a competition as high-scale as the Olympic Trials, they haven't been able to see Eveylynn much this week outside of her performances. But her parents said they know that they know their daughter is a competitor at heart, and so she's celebrating her successes and reflecting on what needs to improve.
"Never did I ever think that our daughter would compete in front of 20,000 people for a spot on the Olympic team," Bobbe said. "We hope that whatever she takes from this, it just grows her into a more mature and advanced gymnast."
And Evelynn has said it herself to me multiple times: she's got nothing to lose.
"Keeping the same mindset, everything to gain and nothing to lose, because that really is what is happening. I have just a great experience ahead of me," she said.
UPDATE, Saturday, 2 p.m. | Leanne Wong speaks with KSHB 41 news reporter Elyse Schoenig.
Leanne Wong is so inspiring! I was able to connect with her while she was signing autographs at her pop-up booth at the Minneapolis Convention Center Saturday. The line of gymnasts waiting was so long they had to go past closing time!
“It’s just crazy to be in that position because I was once those little girls looking up to the highest level athletes," Leanne said. "I mean I’m still one who looks up to Simone Biles, so it’s crazy to be on the same team as her, and competing against her.”
Leanne is from Overland Park, Kansas, and grew up training at GAGE Center in Blue Springs. She's training with her coaches from the University of Florida at the Olympic Trials.
Leanne said night one included lots of ups and downs for her. Like many of the other athletes, watching several competitors face injuries was hard. Leanne also said she has some things to improve herself for night two. She was most excited to debut her new vault, a Cheng, which is one of the hardest vaults in gymnastics.
Leanne is a veteran when it comes to the Olympic Trials, having already qualified to the Olympic Trials before in 2021.
“I feel like this is kind of a bonus," Leanne said.
She said she's relying on her previous experience at the 2021 Olympic Trials, where she was selected as an alternate for Team USA, for this year's Olympic Trials, too.
“I’ve already been through this, I’ve tried for the Olympic team once," she said. "I didn’t quite reach my goals, but I’ve been given a second chance and so I’m just thankful for this opportunity.”
UPDATE, Saturday, 12:30 p.m. | Several world-renowned Olympic gymnasts were at the 2024 Olympic Gymnastics Team Trials in Minneapolis.
Chellsie Memmel, Olympic gymnast and seven-time World and Olympic medalist, served as the technical lead.
Memmel was part of many of the weekend's events alongside Dominique Dawes, three-time Olympic gymnast and eight-time World and Olympic medalist.
Both Memmel and Dawes spoke with KSHB 41 News reporter Elyse Schoenig at Skippy Booth, with Skippy Peanut Butter, in the Flip Zone outside Target Center on Saturday.
UPDATE, Saturday, 11:00 a.m. | Leanne Wong's parents speaks with KSHB 41 news reporter Elyse Schoenig.
Leanne Wong's parents, Bee Ding and Marco Wong, were easy to spot Saturday morning! They were running a pop-up for Leanne's hair bow business, called Leanne Wong's Bowtique, at the Minneapolis Convention Center. So many little gymnasts lined up just to buy Leanne's bows. They want to look and feel as confident on the floor as Leanne does!
I spoke with Bee and Marco while they were at Leanne's booth. After all, this is their second Olympic Trials as parents, too.
“She has a story of comeback from the last Olympic Trials," Bee said. “We are praying and hoping she will be able to bring the memory back and do the best she can.”
Bee said they recognize that Leanne is even greater than her gymnastics accomplishments.
“Being a role model to young girls is very important to her," Bee said. “We are very proud of her. Not only is she a great athlete who works hard, she’s a great student, and she also has this entrepreneurship.”
Marco said it's inspiring to see his daughter work as hard as she has for as long as she has.
“She started gymnastics when she was five years old, then since she was 9, she’s been in the gym over 30 hours a week," he said. “She should be proud of herself just to even be here, to compete with the best in the world.”
I'll be able to meet up with Leanne's parents again Sunday night while we wait to hear who has been selected for the Olympic team. Regardless of the result, Marco and Bee are proud of the person their daughter has become!
“She has really accomplished a lot at the age of 20, and I just hope and pray she will continue to be a role model to everybody in this world, and in the gymnastics world," Bee said,
UPDATE, Friday, 9:30 p.m. | Jordan Chiles speaks with KSHB 41 news reporter Elyse Schoenig.
Tokyo Olympian and World and Pan American Champion Jordan Chiles finished second behind Simone Biles on night one. Chiles is hoping to make the Olympic Team for the second time this year. Chiles talked about the atmosphere of the competition following multiple athlete injuries, and how it shows they're not just physically tough, but mentally tough. She told me she's ready for night two.
UPDATE, Friday, 9 p.m. | Night one of the women's competition wraps up.
According to USA Gymnastics, there were 16,153 tickets sold Friday to fans for night one of the women's session.
Night one has officially wrapped up with Simone Biles leading. Both Eveylynn Lowe and Leanne Wong from Kansas City had strong routines, with Leanne finishing eighth.
Unfortunately, several athletes were injured leading up to and during night one. Skye Blakely tore her Achilles in training a few days before the competition, pulling her from Trials altogether. Kayla DiCello withdrew from Trials after also tearing her Achilles on her first vault. Shilese Jones hurt her knee in warm-ups for the Trials.
UPDATE, Friday, 7:30 p.m. |
You don't even have to be in the arena watching to know when Simone is up...you'll hear the crowd roar!
Nothing quite like hearing the WHOLE crowd erupt for @Simone_Biles 😩 @KSHB41 pic.twitter.com/IdG2M7Mwcq
— Elyse Schoenig (@ElyseSchoenig) June 29, 2024
UPDATE, Friday, 5:30 p.m. | Night one of the women's competition is underway.
It's lively as ever here at Target Center in Minneapolis! Fans were lining up outside as early as 3:30 p.m. to soak in all of the USA Gymnastics fun.
This Olympic Trials is special for Kansas City because we have two athletes competing in the women's round: Leanne Wong and Eveylynn Lowe. Lowe currently trains at GAGE Center in Blue Springs; Wong trained there before she went off to compete for the University of Florida.
I've been in talks with both Wong's and Lowe's families, I'm ecstatic to meet up with them this weekend to tell you all how they're cheering on these two incredible athletes!
Night 1 of the U.S. Women’s Gymnastics Olympic Team Trials is officially underway! Currently watching KC natives Leanne Wong and Eveylynn Lowe warm up on beam — and yes — the GOAT @Simone_Biles is looking sharp as ever 🤩 @KSHB41 #olympictrials #Gymnastics pic.twitter.com/Xalr4an16W
— Elyse Schoenig (@ElyseSchoenig) June 28, 2024
Here’s a couple of important links to keep on hand
- Event information
- Live scoring for men| women
TV Schedule (all times central)
Friday, June 28 (Women’s Day 1)
- 6:30 to 7 p.m. - Peacock
- 7 to 10 9 p.m. - KSHB 41 and Peacock
Saturday, June 29 (Men's Day 2)
- 2 to 5 p.m. - KSHB 41 and Peacock
Sunday, June 30 (Women’s Day 2)
- 7 to 7:30 p.m. - Peacock
- 7:30 to 10 p.m. - KSHB 41 and Peacock
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