After an exciting series of competitions at the Tokyo Olympics, the 2021 World Artistic Gymnastics Championships (Worlds) kick off next week and will span from Oct. 18 to Oct 24 in Kitakyushu, Japan. Worlds is held annually during non-Olympic years (with an exception this time around due to COVID), and gymnasts will only vie for the individual event and all-around titles at the 2021 edition since there typically is no team competition for the championship directly following an Olympics. Back in 2019, Team USA won by almost six whole points.
Four women were named on the 2021 team: Tokyo Olympic alternates Kayla DiCello and Leanne Wong, eMjae Frazier, and Konnor McClain. Olivia Greaves was named the “non-traveling” replacement athlete (aka, the alternate). These women represent USA’s next generation of elite gymnasts, and it is each of the athletes’ first World Championships on the senior level — all of the senior gymnasts from the Olympics, except for Suni Lee, are on Simone Biles’s Gold Over America Tour, then many of them will transition to collegiate gymnastics.
Ahead, read up about these gymnasts heading for 2021 Worlds. We can’t wait for the competition to begin!