Meet the U.S. Gymnasts Who Will Have You Flipping Out at the Tokyo Olympics

They've punched their tickets to Tokyo! Get to know the fierce group of gymnasts who will be repping the red, white and blue at the 2020 Olympics.

Watch: Simone Biles Flips With Nabisco’s “Snack Together Win Together”

Team USA, assemble! 

At long last, the prestigious group of gymnasts selected to compete at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics was finalized following an electric, four-day trials process.

Joining Olympic veteran Simone Biles are newcomers Sunisa Lee, Jordan Chiles and Grace McCallum. MyKayla Skinner, who traveled to Rio in 2016 as an alternate, was selected to compete as an individual. She joins fellow individual Olympic contender Jade Carey, who secured a ticket to Tokyo prior to last year’s postponement. 

On the men’s side, Sam Mikulak will lead Brody Malone, Yul Moldauer and Shane Wiskus to the podium, while Alec Yoder is set to compete as an individual event specialist. 

As the sport continues to rebuild following the sexual abuse scandal involving former USA gymnastics physician Larry Nassar, Simone has said she felt called to return to the Olympics on behalf of fellow survivors. 

“I had to come back to the sport to be a voice, to have change happen,” she explained on Today. “Because I feel like if there weren’t a remaining survivor in the sport, they would have just brushed it to the side. But since I’m still here, and I have quite a social media presence and platform, they have to do something.”

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Olympic Gymnasts: Where Are They Now?

Get acquainted with the unstoppable selection of gymnasts who will be repping the red, white and blue at the 2020 Olympics in our gallery below! 

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Simone Biles

Age: 24

Hometown: Columbus, Ohio

What to Know: Simply put, she’s the GOAT. Not only does Simone have five Olympic medals (a figure that’s bound to increase in Tokyo), she’s the most decorated American gymnast of all time. 

Jamie Squire/Getty Images

Sam Mikulak

Age: 28

Hometown: Newport Coast, California

What to Know: This two-time Olympian and six-time national all-around champ is a prominent mental health advocate within the sport. After a series of devastating losses between 2013 and 2018, Sam turned to a sports psychologist, who helped him prioritize gratitude over perfection. 

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Sunisa Lee

Age: 18

Hometown: St. Paul, Minnesota

What to Know: Suni is preparing for a major comeback after an incredibly tough 2020. Not only were her Olympic dreams dashed, the incoming Auburn University freshman broke her foot and lost two family members to COVID-19 just weeks apart. Now she’s making history as the first Hmong American athlete to rep the U.S. at the Olympics. 

Jamie Squire/Getty Images

Brody Malone

Age: 21

Hometown: Summervile, Georgia

What to Know: The Stanford University student emerged as the breakout star of the men’s gymnastics team after placing first at the Olympic trials. Brody’s longtime girlfriend was present as he clinched a spot on Team USA, describing him on Instagram as the “most deserving person I have ever met.”

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Jordan Chiles

Age: 20

Hometown: Vancouver, Washington

What to Know: After nearly quitting gymnastics in 2018, Jordan got a second chance at rediscovering her passion for the sport when Simone Biles convinced her to move to Texas to train alongside her. What blossomed was a beautiful friendship that’s sure to only grow stronger at the Games. 

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Yul Moldauer

Age: 24

Hometown: Fort Collins, Colorado 

What to Know: Yul, who was adopted from South Korea as a baby, has used his platform to bring attention to the recent rise in anti-Asian hate. In March, the University of Oklahoma grad detailed an incident in which a woman driving next to him yelled, “Go back to China.” He told Today of the experience, “It hurts to know that you have to represent people who have discrimination in them. You represent the entire country when you wear the U.S. flag on your jersey.”

Jamie Squire/Getty Images

MyKayla Skinner

Age: 24

Hometown: Gilbert, Arizona

What to Know: After making the Rio 2016 team as an alternate, the pressure was on for the University of Utah alum to stick her last chance at Olympic glory. Over the past year, Mykayla overcame an Achilles injury and a bout with pneumonia that required hospitalization. Her hard work paid off, making her the oldest female U.S. Olympic gymnast since 2004. 

Jamie Squire/Getty Images

Shane Wiskus

Age: 22

Hometown: Spring Park, Minnesota

What to Know: Following a disappointing appearance at the 2021 U.S. Championships, Shane redeemed himself at the trials to secure a spot on Team USA. In September, he made headlines after leaving the University of Minnesota to train in Colorado because the school cut its men’s gymnastics program.

Jamie Squire/Getty Images

Grace McCallum

Age: 18

Hometown: Isanti, Minnesota

What to Know: In early 2021, the teen was forced to take precious time away from the gym following hand surgery, during which she had a plate and seven screws installed. The obstacle only improved Grace’s focus heading into the Olympic trials. As she described to FloGymnastics.com, “I know it’ll be hard, but it’ll all be worth it in the end.”

Carmen Mandato/Getty Images

Alec Yoder

Age: 24

Hometown: Indianapolis, Indiana

What to Know: The men’s gymnastics selection committee picked the Utah State University alum for an individual spot. Following the death of his coach, Gene Watson, in April 2020, Alec vowed to achieve his Olympic dreams in his memory. “My goal was to win that Olympic medal and put it around your neck,” he wrote on Facebook. “I’ll keep training towards that goal Gene. That’s what you would want.”

Jamie Squire/Getty Images

Jade Carey

Age: 21

Hometown: Phoenix, Arizona

What to Know: Jade will only compete in individual events at the Tokyo Olympics, having qualified through the Apparatus World Cup Series in 2018, 2019 and 2020. In doing so, she forfeited the opportunity to participate in the team competition.

Where Are Your Favorite Olympic Gymnasts Now?

As Simone Biles and the rest of the U.S. gymnastics hopefuls head into the 2020 Tokyo Games, let's take a look at what the sport's beloved Olympians from years past are doing now.

Watch: Simone Biles Flips With Nabisco’s “Snack Together Win Together”

Olympic gymnasts somehow have a special way of capturing the nation’s heart, and this affection never quite goes away. 

As the world gears up for the 2020 Tokyo Games, the Olympic Trials for women’s gymnastics kicks off on Thursday, June 24, with Simone Biles and the rest of the U.S. hopefuls preparing to represent their country. Simone is already among the pantheon of greats in her sport and is likely to add to her success this summer, as she’s on the cusp of becoming the most-decorated gymnast in history ahead of the Opening Ceremony on Friday, July 23. 

But before we find out which new moments will become classics, it’s time to catch up with standouts from previous gymnastic teams for a quick dose of nostalgia. 

Indeed, plenty of past displays continue to live on in fans’ memories, including incredible performances courtesy of such stars as Mary Lou Retton, Kerri Strug, Shannon Miller, Nastia Liukin, Shawn Johnson, Gabby Douglas and many more. 

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2021 Summer Olympics Status Check

Keep scrolling to see what some of your favorite Olympic gymnasts from years past have been up to since putting down the chalk, and be sure to watch the 2020 Tokyo Games this summer on NBC and Peacock. 

(E!, NBC and Peacock are all part of the NBCUniversal family.)

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Cathy Rigby

A pioneer in the sport, she was among the first female athletes to help popularize gymnastics in the nation, thanks to her strong performance at the 1968 Mexico City Games, although she never medaled. Rigby retired after the 1972 Olympics and is perhaps best known for playing the title role in the theatrical musical Peter Pan, which earned her a Tony Award nomination in 1991. 

She has been a familiar face to not only theatre fans but also TV viewers, due to serving for many years as an ABC Sports commentator, in addition to appearing on the series The Six Million Dollar Man. Rigby has also been open throughout the years about her previous battle with disordered eating. 

The star and husband Tom McCoy share two children, and she has two children from a previous marriage.

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Mary Lou Retton

A defining cultural figure of the 1980s before retiring in 1986, she won five medals at the 1984 Los Angeles Games. Among those prizes was gold in the all-around, making her the first American woman to achieve this feat in the sport. She shares four children with her ex-husband, former University of Houston quarterback Shannon Kelley, who she split from in 2018. 

Outside of athletics, she became vocal in politics, supporting President Ronald Reagan along his 1984 reelection campaign trail and later speaking at the 2004 Republican National Convention. Retton made cameos in the films Scrooged and Naked Gun 33+1⁄3, and more recently, she became the first woman inducted into the Houston Sports Hall of Fame in 2020. 

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Shannon Miller

With a total of seven medals, won during the 1992 Barcelona Games and 1996 Atlanta Games, she is the most-awarded female Olympic gymnast in history. After failing to qualify for the 2020 Sydney Games, Miller turned her focus to her schooling, earning a business degree and later a law degree, although she never took the Bar Exam. 

Miller went on to appear in fitness videos, published the 2015 autobiography It’s Not About Perfect and is an advocate for preventing childhood obesity. She and second husband John Falconetti share two children. 

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Kerri Strug

She is a two-time medalist best known for competing on the vault despite an ankle injury at the 1996 Atlanta Games and later being carried to the podium by coach Béla Károlyi. The memorable feat led to a whirlwind of media moments, including appearances on SNL and Beverly Hills, 90210, plus a visit with President Bill Clinton, and she retired shortly thereafter. 

Strug went on to become a schoolteacher and also got involved in politics, including speaking at the 2004 Republican National Convention. Her memoir, Landing On My Feet, A Diary Of Dreams, is in development as a feature film from director Olivia Wilde, with Thomasin McKenzie attached to play the athlete. 

She and husband Robert Fischer share two children. 

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Dominique Dawes

She competed in the 1992 Barcelona Games, 1996 Atlanta Games and 2000 Sydney Games, winning four medals. This includes the team gold in 1996, making her the first Black gymnast of any nationality to win a gold medal.

Dawes retired after the Sydney Games. She has appeared in multiple music videos, including Missy Elliott‘s “We Run This” in 2006, and played Patty Simcox in a 1990s Broadway revival of Grease. 

The athlete was named co-chair of President Barack Obama‘s President’s Council on Fitness, Sports and Nutrition in 2010, and she is also an advocate for autism awareness. Dawes and husband Jeff Thompson share four children. 

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Shawn Johnson

She was among the stars of the 2008 Beijing Games, thanks to her four medals, including gold in the balance beam. Shawn retired just before the 2012 London Games, having already become a pop-culture personality due to winning Dancing With the Stars in 2009. 

She has remained a media mainstay ever since 2008, notching appearances on a long list of shows that includes The Secret Life of the American Teenager, Celebrity Apprentice, The Challenge: Champs vs. Stars, Whose Line Is It Anyway?, Who Wants to be a Millionaire and Family Feud. The star also led the Pledge of Allegiance at the 2008 Democratic National Convention and has authored several books, including the 2016 YA novel The Flip Side. 

Shawn shares one daughter with NFL player Andrew East, who she married in 2016, and the couple is expecting a boy, as of June 2021. The Olympian has been open about her previous struggles with disordered eating. 

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Nastia Liukin

The gymnast nabbed five medals at the 2008 Beijing Games, including gold in the all-around. She retired just before the 2012 London Games and has appeared on such shows as Gossip Girl, Make It or Break It and Hellcats, in addition to making a cameo in the film Stick It. Nastia also competed on Dancing With the Stars in 2015 and released the memoir Finding My Shine in 2015.

In 2018, she and hockey player Matt Lombardi called off their engagement.

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McKayla Maroney

Her two Olympic medals from the 2012 London Games include team gold. After winning silver in the vault that summer, she became a meme when her expression on the podium made her appear to be unimpressed. 

Maroney, who announced her retirement in 2016, has since transitioned into both acting and singing. She has appeared on a range of TV shows including Hart of Dixie, Bones and Superstore, and she released her first single, “Wake Up Call,” in 2020. 

In 2021, she appeared in a Geico ad, during which she gave her infamous “not impressed” look.

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Gabby Douglas

She was part of the gold-winning teams at both the 2012 London Games and the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Games. She also won gold in the gymnastics all-around in 2016, becoming the first African American to do so. 

Douglas retired after the Rio Games and has become a prominent TV and media fixture. She published her 2012 memoir Grace, Gold, and Glory, was the subject of the 2014 Lifetime movie The Gabby Douglas Story and starred with her family in the Oxygen unscripted series Douglas Family Gold.

Other TV appearances include Kickin It and Undercover Boss, along with winning The Masked Dancer in 2020.

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Aly Raisman

The second-most-awarded American Olympic female gymnast behind Miller, Raisman picked up six medals between the 2012 London Games and the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Games, including the floor competition gold in 2012, along with consecutive team golds.

Raisman, who retired after the Rio Games, released her memoir Fierce in 2017 and made a cameo in the 2019 Charlie’s Angels film. She placed fourth on Dancing With the Stars in 2013 and appeared in the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue in both 2017 and 2018. 

Her dating life has included a high-profile relationship with Colton Underwood that ended in 2017, prior to him appearing on The Bachelorette and later leading The Bachelor.

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Laurie Hernandez

The two-time medalist at the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Games was part of the U.S. gold-winning team. She remains an active gymnast but did not qualify for the Olympic Trials ahead of the 2020 Tokyo Games. 

Aside from athletics, Hernandez won season 23 of Dancing With the Stars, becoming the youngest-ever champion at age 16, and served as a reporter on American Ninja Warrior Junior. She also voiced a character on Nickelodeon’s Middle School Moguls, which aired in 2019, and released memoir I Got This in 2017.