NEW YORK: Simone Biles is four rotations away from a third trip to the Olympics. The list of contenders hoping to join her in Paris is thinning quickly.
While not at her unparalleled best, Biles had little trouble sprinting to the lead at the U.S. Olympic trials on Friday.
Her all-around score of 58.900 puts her well ahead of her good friend Jordan Chiles and in a position to lock up an automatic berth on the five-woman team if she finds herself in the same position when the trials wrap up on Sunday.
Behind Biles, however, everything is on the table after leading contenders Shilese Jones and Kayla DiCello exited due to injuries.
DiCello, a 2020 Olympic alternate, tore the Achilles in her right foot when she stepped onto the vault springboard. Jones, a six-time world championship medalist, tweaked her knee during vault warm-ups.
She returned to grit her way through an uneven bars routine before skipping the balance beam and floor exercise. Her status for Sunday’s finals is uncertain.
The injuries — particularly to Jones, considered a lock if healthy — potentially opened the door for some Olympic veterans who have worked their way into the conversation.
Chiles, who helped the Americans win silver in Tokyo, appears to be rounding into form just in time. She finished in the top six on all four events, heady territory considering injuries slowed her training early in the year, which appeared to dim her chances of an Olympic return.
Sunisa Lee, the 2020 Olympic champion who has spent most of the last two years battling kidney-related health issues, used a pair of excellent sets on uneven bars and balance beam in front of a hometown crowd to come in third.
So is Jade Carey, the reigning Olympic champion on floor exercise, who finished fourth. Biles, as she has for most of the last 11 years, stands alone.
The 27-year-old seven-time Olympic medalist, eyeing a return to the games after an eventful stay in Tokyo three years ago in which she removed herself from multiple finals to focus on her mental health, has looked as good as ever most of this year. Agencies
Also Read: Aston Villa Signs Netherlands Defender Ian Maatsen from Chelsea
Also Watch: