The 2024 Paris Olympics are quickly approaching.
With the Summer Games just over a year away, American athletes are gearing up for qualifying events as they hope to secure their spot on Team USA.
Gymnastics is one of the most competitive and cutthroat sports in the Olympics. Athletes have a narrow window of their lives to participate before the next wave of younger talent cycles in.
Nastia Liukin, a five-time Olympic medalist in 2008 and current NBC analyst, finds this period before the Games to be the most thrilling in the sport. Entering 2024, a talented crop of young gymnastics are eager to make the squad.
“There's so many incredible gymnasts out there that anything can happen during an Olympic year,” Luikin said. “And I think that's what makes this sport itself so crazy, is that you don't have to have just competed or won a national championship (to make the team). But at the same time Olympic year, once the clock strikes, it's go time and consistency is extremely important.
“I always say Olympic trials are way more nerve-wracking and stressful, at least in the United States, than the actual Olympics – like trying to make that team. I mean, there's just so many incredibly talented gymnasts that are fighting for a handful of spots. And so there's truly a lot of talent here. So I'm excited to be able to watch.”
Liukin, who is the daughter of two former champion gymnasts, has recently seen her parents coaching one athlete that is standing out: 15-year-old Hezly Rivera. The young New Jersey native was part of the silver medal-winning American team at the 2023 Junior World Championships, but now she’s making the transition to the senior level.
“When you look at young, up and coming, my parents have one of the gymnasts, one of the junior gymnasts that is making her way to the senior stage,” Luikin said. “Hezly (Rivera) is, I'm obviously biased, but kind of watching her style, she's very similar to (me). It reminds me a lot of when I was a junior going into the senior level. (She has) super long, beautiful lines. But she's definitely way more powerful than I ever was.”
While a young crop of athletes is looking to make their Olympic debuts, two veteran stars are making another push.
Simone Biles, 26, and Gabby Douglas, 27, are legends of American gymnastics, having combined for seven gold medals in their Olympic careers dating back to 2012. Douglas has officially returned to training, while Biles is still undecided about competing in Paris.
“I hope so. I hope so for the sport,” Luikin said when asked about their potential comebacks. “It hasn't always been the case in the past, where it's normally like you do one Olympics and you're kind of done. But they're showing to everybody, and especially this next generation, that age truly is a number. Obviously two incredible athletes, two incredible humans and I think they're inspirations to me and to the rest of the world out there.”
Age is often a topic of conversation in gymnastics, but things have changed in recent years. As technology and knowledge of the body evolve, athletes are feeling more confident in competing at ages that used to be considered “old” for gymnastics.
“There's been so many things that have changed,” Luikin explained. “Everything is just progressing so much. I thought I was ahead of the times with acupuncture and now there's just so many different things that you can help keep your body healthier for longer.
“We did what we could with what we had in 2008. But I think now just the knowledge in taking care of the body, different recovery processes and all of that is the education.”
Luikin, who competed in every event besides the vault at the 2008 Beijing Olympics, also feels that today’s gymnasts do a better job of not spreading themselves too thin. Instead, athletes often specialize in certain routines where they have the best chance of success.
“The sport has also changed in the sense that you don't have to necessarily do the all-around (routine). And that was pretty much like always (the case back then). There were no specialists for a long time, and so that's helped some athletes be able to even mentally or physically process like, ‘OK, if I don't have to do all four events, I can just focus on my specialties.’”
When Liukin is not serving as a gymnastics analyst for NBC, she works as a digital entrepreneur, advisor and investor for early-stage start-ups. This summer, she’s serving as the host of The UPS Store Small Biz Challenge, an event where one lucky entrepreneur will be awarded $25,000.
“My partnership with the UPS Store Small Business Challenge allows me to do something that I've always loved and that's to support the nation's brightest and small business owners with my advice, creativity and business experience,” she said. “... My mission and my passion, whether it's through sports or whether it's through something else, is to try to encourage and inspire the next generation.”
Liukin will be back with NBC for the U.S. Classic on Aug. 5-6, followed by the U.S. Gymnastics Championships on Aug. 24-27. Both of those events will air live on NBC and Peacock.
You can find the full gymnastics schedule leading up to the 2024 Olympics right here.
