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Things Are About to Heat Up In Hartford at the Core Hydration Classic
By Megan Roth with Christy Sandmaier contributing
15 Olympic Medals
62 World Medals
11 Pan Am Games Medals
…represented at the 2024 Core Hydration Classic!
With the most decorated field in history about to take the floor in Hartford – Biles, Lee, Douglas, Carey, Jones, Blakely, Wong, Chiles, Roberson, DiCello, McClain, Thomas (just to name a few) – for the 2024 Core Hydration Classic, we put together our top 6 list of storylines to follow (knowing there could easily be a million more)!
Keep scrolling for schedule, rosters and more!
1. Olympic All-Around Champions Showdown:
For the first time in women’s gymnastics history, three Olympic All-Around champions will compete together in the same meet!
After missing out on Winter Cup due to COVID, three-time Olympic Gold Medalist Gabby Douglas made her comeback at American Classic on April 27. Gabby will look to improve her scores in order to qualify to Championships in the All-Around and prove she has the endurance and confidence to contend for an Olympic spot and her third Olympic team! For more on Gabby, click here!
Coming off of her historic, record-setting comeback in 2023, 7-time Olympic medalist and 30-time (23 gold) World Medalist Simone Biles will make her 2024 debut here! While Simone has so many skills to choose from, one of the biggest questions surrounding her skill repertoire is what vaults she will do. Will she go for the Yurchenko double pike after falling on it at the 2023 World vault final? If she does it, will coach Laurent Landi stand in for safety (and a ridiculous 0.5 deduction)? Could she try the Amanar, the vault she hasn’t competed since Tokyo? The Cheng is her most consistent, high-scoring option, but maybe she’ll try the Biles – she hasn’t competed it since 2018, but Cecile Landi reported to the All Things Gymnastics Podcast that she is training it.
The biggest questions surrounding 2020 champ Suni Lee focus on her health, and if she’ll opt to compete in the All-Around in Hartford. (And, does she really need to?) What will her bars composition and Start Value be? Will she try the Jaeger-full after falling on it at Winter Cup? After all that the 2020 Olympic Champ has endured over the last year, it’s remarkable that she’s even back on the competition floor and on a path to challenge for a spot on the 2024 team. After a kidney illness cut her NCAA season short at Auburn last year, Lee has been on a roller coaster of a ride. At one point, swelling from her illness was so bad that the uneven bars great couldn’t even get in her grips to chalk up. She also found herself battling not only the physical ailments of the illness, but the mental anguish that comes along with it that resulted in some depression. Just to make it back to a competitive level is an achievement. But Lee not only made it back, she learned new skills along the way, including a full-twisting Jaeger release on uneven bars that will be named for her if she completes it in a World Cup or the Olympics.
In podium training at Winter Cup, she was looking confident and sharp as she landed skill after skill and did it with her typical polish and style. But in competition, she struggled. Two falls on uneven bars followed by another on beam left the Olympic Champ looking temporarily dismayed and audiences stunned. We wish everyone could have seen her in podium training to know just how sharp she actually looked and to know that the potential to make this 2024 Olympic team is absolutely, without a doubt, a real possibility.
Lee, who competed vault (13.250) and beam (meet high 14.300) at the American Classic, has already qualified on two events to the U.S. Championships with the opportunity to petition to compete all four, or she could go for all four here. With a little more time, continued healing, pacing, and a focus on her overall health, we have no doubt Lee is a top contender for this team.
Beautiful full twisting Jaeger from Suni!!! #WinterCup pic.twitter.com/h3XM2CGX9U
— Inside Gymnastics (@InsideGym) February 23, 2024
2. Wild Card:
After not making the Worlds team in 2023, Jordan Chiles hasn’t competed since the 2023 Pan-American Games, and with injuries delaying her 2024 competitive debut, she remains a wild card in the Olympic selection process right now. She said previously that she didn’t have enough time between the 2023 NCAA and Elite seasons to feel completely comfortable and prepared for her Elite competitions. Will the year-long break bring her back to the Jordan we saw in 2021 and 2022? Will the nagging injuries that have kept her out of the 2024 season so far play a role in Hartford? If anyone has the power to surprise the entire field (and selection committee) it’s Chiles, and as she told the media in February at National Team Camp, “I’m that girl” – and ready to fight for the podium once again doing her gymnastics on her terms.
3. From NCAA to Elite:
Konnor McClain, Jade Carey, and Leanne Wong have competed by far the most out of anyone else in the field this season, but how will they transition their college routines to Elite?
Konnor definitely holds the biggest question mark out of this group. The 2022 U.S. All-Around Champion missed out on Worlds in 2022 due to injury and did not compete in 2023. Additionally, she is not yet qualified to U.S. Championships in Fort Worth and this is her last chance to do so. At LSU, Konnor competed Elite-level skills like her full-in bars dismount and double layout on floor, but did not compete vault, and took her triple series on beam out early in the season. Will she come back with the difficulty she showed in 2022 and the consistency she found in college? The key with Konnor has always been confidence and belief in herself, and at LSU, she seems to have re-captured her self-assurance and the joy for what she’s doing. Konnor’s comeback was one we didn’t envision a year ago and she’s one of the top headlines here.
Although she had a disappointing Elite season in 2023, throughout this NCAA season, it was clear Jade had a plan to peak at the right time, just competing bars and beam for the majority of the season. At NCAAs, she came in second in the All-Around, and at American Classic, she won the All-Around with a 55.000. Her vault and floor are definitely upgradable, but when will she show those upgrades? Classic could be the time to roll them out – or as she’s done all year, she could pace herself heading all the way to Trials and what she hopes is a second berth on an Olympic team and chance to defend her gold medal on floor.
CEO and student-athlete by day, Leanne has been the steady third All-Arounder for both the 2022 and 2023 Worlds teams, but with the ultra-competitive field this year, she might need some upgrades to earn that spot again. At Winter Cup, Kayla DiCello won the All-Around with a huge 56.850. What routines will Leanne show and will she be just as consistent as we saw from her in college? She had the season of her life in 2023 and is without question one of the most artistic gymnasts in the entire field on every event. She would truly love to make her case early in Hartford to launch her 2024 Olympic dream.
4. Olympic Pressure Rising:
All of the athletes competing here have their own set of goals, and enormous pressure will certainly come with such a competitive field lighting up the floor. Who will thrive in the pressure to show their best gymnastics and take the top spot? As the lead up for U.S. Championships and Olympic Trials, Classic is very important for athletes aiming to make their confidence and consistency stand out early in the Olympic selection process. The pressure will only increase from here and we’re about to see who’s ready (and who’s not) live from the arena floor.
5. First-year Seniors Break Out:
Although the returning Olympic champions are capturing the majority of the headlines here, an incredible class of first year seniors will make their Senior U.S. Classic debuts this weekend. We’ve seen big things from Hezly Rivera, Jayla Hang, Simone Rose, Kieryn Finnell, and Reese Esponda last year and so far this season. What will they show at Classic? Is there a breakout star in the mix? Crazy things can happen in an Olympic year and the newcomers are more than ready to write a few headlines of their own.
6. The Contenders
Looking to continue their momentum and make their case this weekend for one of the five tickets to Paris will also be two-time World team gold medalist and World All-Around medalist (silver in 2022 and bronze in 2023) Shilese Jones, two-time World team gold medalist Skye Blakely, 2020 Olympic alternate and 2023 Pan American Games All-Around Champion Kayla DiCello, and 2023 Pan American Games team and floor champion Kaliya Lincoln, along with 2023 World team gold medalist Joscelyn Roberson, who is on her way back from a leg injury sustained at the 2023 Worlds right before team finals (she qualified for vault finals but had to withdraw).
All of them are very much in the mix, with Jones absolutely leading the way. A spot is all but hers in Paris, she just has to do what she’s done the entire quad – stay calm and do her own gymnastics. On Friday morning just before podium training she told us her goals in Hartford were to: “Just to have a clean, healthy competition and hit four for four. [I’m] showcasing an upgrade – a whole new bar routine actually, and you know, just having fun with it. It’s the first competition with all the athletes coming back and I’m super excited to be competing with Gabby, especially, and just having fun, just getting my feet wet and boosting my confidence going into the next competition.”
Things are about to heat up in Hartford, and we’re right here for all of it.
Photos by Ricardo Bufolin and Lloyd Smith for Inside Gymnastics
The Details
WHEN: May 17-18, 2024
WHERE: XL Center, Hartford, CT
LIVE SCORES: Click here
SCHEDULE:
(Times are eastern and subject to change.)
- Podium Training –FlipNow.TV
Friday, May 17
2:00-4:30 p.m. ET – HOPES Championships –FlipNow.TV
7:00-9:30 p.m. ET – Junior Women –USA Gymnastics’ YouTube channel
Saturday, May 18
2:00-4:00 p.m. ET – Senior Women Session 1 –USA Gymnastics’ YouTube channel
7:00-9:00 p.m. ET – Senior Women Session 2 –Peaco*ck(within the U.S.);USA Gymnastics’ YouTube channel(outside the U.S.)
— USA Gymnastics (@USAGym) May 6, 2024The Senior Session rosters are here! ⤵️
LAST THREE OLYMPIC CHAMPIONS LEAD LEGENDARY LIST OF REGISTRANTS FOR 2024 CORE HYDRATION CLASSIC
INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. (May 6, 2024) – For the first time in history, a gymnastics competition is expected to see three Olympic all-around gold medalists compete head-to-head asGabby Douglas,Simone BilesandSuni Leeall have registered to compete at the 2024 Core Hydration Classic May 17-18 in Hartford, Connecticut. Elite seniors will compete Saturday, May 18.
The 2024 Core Hydration Classic starts the process for 2024 Olympic Team qualifying in earnest, serving as the final opportunity for women for women’s artistic athletes to qualify to the 2024 Xfinity U.S. Championships May 30-June 2 in Fort Worth, Texas. At the championships, the National Team roster that will compete at the Olympic Trials June 27-30 in Minneapolis will be chosen.
It all starts in Hartford, which has the potential to see the most accomplished women’s field ever assembled.
ALL-TIME GREATS, LEGENDARY FIELD
Collectively, the gold-medal trio have won the last three Olympic all-around competitions, with Douglas taking gold in 2012, Biles winning in 2016 and Lee standing as the reigning champion from 2021. Combined, the three have won 13 Olympic medals, eight of them gold.
Never before have three all-around gold medalists graced the floor at the same meet, but they will not be alone in the star power registered for Hartford. In total, the registrant list includes 13 Olympic, World Championships and/or Pan American Games medalists. Tokyo Olympic floor champion and 2022 World Championships vault gold medalistJade Careyis coming off of wins in the all-round and on floor at the American Classic on April 27 as she returns to elite form. Biles, six-time World Championships medalistShilese Jones, three-time World medalistLeanne Wong, and Olympic and World medalistJordan Chilesall look to make their 2024 elite debuts in Hartford.
The star-studded entry list doesn’t end there. Also registered are two-time World medalistSkye Blakely; World team championsJoscelyn Roberson,Lexi Zeiss and Kayla DiCello,who also is the 2023 Pan Am Games all-around and team gold medalist; Pan Am floor and team championKaliya Lincoln, and Pan Am team championTiana Sumanasekera. The 2022 U.S. all-around champion,Konnor McClain, also has registered for her first elite competition since she won that title, having competed and won an NCAA team title at LSU this season.
Additional tickets for the Core Hydration Classic have been released and are available through Ticketmaster. Tickets for Saturday’s senior competition areavailable here, with tickets for all sessions availablehere. Registration for the event closed on Friday, May 3 but does not guarantee athlete participation. Gymnasts may still submit petitions to compete and register prior to the start of competition. Complete event information, including competition and broadcasting schedules, can be found atcorehydrationclassic.com.
Current athletes registered for the 2024 Core Hydration Classic are listed alphabetically by division below.
Senior
Simone Biles —Spring, Texas/World Champions Centre
Skye Blakely —Frisco, Texas/WOGA Gymnastics
Ly Bui —Swisher, Iowa/Great American Gymnastics Express
Jade Carey — Phoenix, Ariz./Oregon State University
Dulcy Caylor —Spring , Texas/World Champions Centre
Jordan Chiles — Vancouver, Wash./World Champions Centre
Chloe Cho — Canyon Country, Calif./Gymnastics Olympica USA
Norah Christian —Bremerton, Wash/Cascade Elite West
Nicole Desmond — Wind Gap, Pa./World Champions Centre
Kayla DiCello — Boyds, Md./Hill’s Gymnastics
Amelia Disidore — Overland Park, Kan./Great American Gymnastics Express
Gabby Douglas — Anna, Texas/WOGA Gymnastics
Tatum Drusch — White Bear Lake, Minn./Flips Gymnastics
Reese Esponda — Missoula, Mont./World Champions Centre
Addison Fatta — Wrightsville, Pa./Prestige Gymnastics
Kieryn Finnell — Pittsford, N.Y./RGA
Jayla Hang — Bellevue, Wash./Pacific Reign Gymnastics
Cambry Haynes — Evergreen, Colo./Adrenaline Gymnastics Academy
Jazmyn Jimenez —Santa Clarita, Calif./Gymnastics Olympica USA
Madray Johnson — Dallas, Texas/WOGA Gymnastics
Shilese Jones — Auburn, Wash./Ascend Gymnastics Center
Katelyn Jong — Allen, Texas/Metroplex Gymnastics
Suni Lee — St. Paul, Minn./Midwest Gymnastics Center
Myli Lew — Belmont, Calif./San Mateo Gymnastics
Kaliya Lincoln — Frisco, Texas/WOGA Gymnastics
Eveylynn Lowe — Blue Springs, Mo./Great American Gymnastics Express
Nola Matthews — Gilroy, Calif./Airborne Gymnastics Training Center
Konnor McClain —Las Vegas, Nev./Louisiana State University
Taylor McMahon —Flower Mound, Texas/Metroplex Gymnastics
Annalisa Milton — Lee’s Summit, Mo./Great American Gymnastics Express
Malea Milton — Lee’s Summit, Mo./Great American Gymnastics Express
Zoey Molomo — Frisco, Texas/Metroplex Gymnastics
Marissa Neal — Blue Springs, Mo./Great American Gymnastics Express
Jazlene Pickens —Pickerington, Ohio/Buckeye Gymnastics
Brooke Pierson — Canby, Ore./World Champions Centre
Hezly Rivera — Oradell, N.J./WOGA Gymnastics
Joscelyn Roberson — Texarkana, Texas/World Champions Centre
Simone Rose — Sammamish, Wash./Pacific Reign Gymnastics
Lacie Saltzman — Charlotte, N.C./Texas Dreams Gymnastics
Audrey Snyder — Annapolis, Md./First State Gymnastics
Izzy Stassi — Delaware, Ohio/Performance Gymnastics Academy
Ashlee Sullivan — Richardson, Texas/Metroplex Gymnastics
Tiana Sumanasekera — Pleasanton, Calif./World Champions Centre
Trinity Thomas — York, Pa./University of Florida
Brynn Torry — Yorktown, Va./World Class Gymnastics
Sabrina Visconti —Revere, Mass./Nohas Gymnastics Academy
CaMarah Williams —Kansas City, Mo./EDGE Gymnastics – Riverside
Leanne Wong — Overland Park, Kan./University of Florida
Kelise Woolford — Orange, N.J./Buckeye Gymnastics
Lexi Zeiss — Omaha, Neb./Twin City Twisters
Junior
Harlow Buddendeck — Rochester, N.Y. /RGA
Charleigh Bullock — Spotsylvania, Va./Capital Gymnastics National Training Center
Lavi Crain — Blue Springs, Mo./Great American Gymnastics Express
Ally Damelio — San Mateo, Calif./San Mateo Gymnastics
Celia Frith-Carvalho — Godwin, N.C./Bull City Gymnastics
Sadie Goldberg — Bexley, Ohio/Buckeye Gymnastics
Greta Krob — Tipton, Iowa/IGN
Jaysha McClendon — Scottsdale, Ariz./Rebound Gymnastics West
Caroline Moreau — Keller, Texas/Texas Dreams Gymnastics
Claire Pease — Sunnyvale, Texas/WOGA Gymnastics
Lila Richardson — Springdale, Ariz./Hopes and Dreams Gymnastics
Alessia Rosa — East Hanover, N.J./Hill’s Gymnastics
Kylie Smith — Loveland, Ohio/Cincinnati Gymnastics
Maliha Tressel — Eagan, Minn./Twin City Twisters
Tyler Turner — San Jose, Calif./WOGA Gymnastics
Trinity Wood — Waldorf, Md./Capital Gymnastics National Training Center
Traditionally a women’s event, a men’s field was included in 2022 and 2023. The U.S. men’s program will not participate in the 2024 Core Hydration Classic to optimize their preparations for the Olympic Trials and Paris Games. The Core Hydration Classic is being held in conjunction with the 2024 Hopes Championships, a national-level event featuring rising stars from the women’s artistic discipline in the 11-12 and 13-14 year-old age divisions.
Past winners of Classic include Olympic championsSimone Biles,Amanda Borden,Dominique Dawes,Gabby Douglas,Laurie Hernandez,Shawn Johnson,Nastia Liukin,Carly Patterson,Jaycie Phelps,Aly Raisman,Kyla RossandJordyn Wieber. 2020 OlympianBrody Malonecaptured the inaugural men’s title.
FOR MORE:
There’s More Than Meet the Eye in Douglas’ Comeback Debut
Kayla DiCello: Giving the Games One Last Shot
Leanne Wong’s Next Chapter
Trinity Thomas Takes on 2024
5 Takeaways from Winter Cup
USA Gymnastics Confirms International Assignments
No Regrets, Gabby Douglas Eyes Paris
U.S. Women’s Qualification Process
Olympic Gold Medalist Carly Patterson embraces new role for U.S. Women
Road to Paris Gets Real: Olympic Draw
