Latest news with #U.S.Classic
NBC Sports
3 days ago
- Sport
- NBC Sports
Pease narrowly edges out rose for US Classic win
Claire Pease, the reigning junior all-around national champion, made short work of taking the next step by becoming the second rookie in 17 years to win U.S. Classic, edging Simone Rose by 0.4 points.
USA Today
4 days ago
- Sport
- USA Today
Florida gymnastics alum Leanne Wong participating in US Classic
Recent Florida graduate and Olympic alternate Leanne Wong is in action Saturday night at the 2025 U.S. Classic presented by Saatva. She'll be a member of the second rotation group in the second senior women's session between 8-10 p.m. ET. Gymnastics fans can tune in on CNBC or using a Peacock account (free with ads). A recap of the senior women's session will air on NBC Sunday between 4-6 p.m. ET. Wong won three golds in the 2022 U.S. Classic, taking medals in all-around, balance beam and a share of the vault title. Following her Olympic run as an alternate last summer, Wong represented the United States in the Swiss Cup in Zurich. This will be Wong's first major competition of 2025. Leanne Wong at Florida Wong is one of the best to pass through Florida's gymnastics program. She earned 29 All-American honors (14 NCAA/5 WCGA Regular Season) and was All-SEC for each of her four years. In 2024, she was the NCAA uneven bars champion. She won the SEC balance beam championship in 2022 and 2023, and in 2025 she won the conference uneven bars championship. Wong posted 10.0 in all four events at some point while with Florida. She did it five times on the bars, three times on the balance beam and twice on the floor. Her best all-around score was a 39.875, which happened twice. Follow us @GatorsWire on X, formerly known as Twitter, as well as Bluesky, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Florida Gators news, notes and opinions.
NBC Sports
6 days ago
- Sport
- NBC Sports
At U.S. Classic, gymnast Hezly Rivera can see how far she's come
Hezly Rivera is at the center of promotions for the U.S. Classic gymnastics meet — both online and on Interstate 90 digital billboards near NOW Arena. It's a testament to — and reminder of — her breakout last summer. While the rest of the 2024 Olympic champion team is sitting out elite competition for now, that group's youngest member is the headliner in Hoffman Estates, Illinois, for the Classic, the primary tune-up meet for the national championships in three weeks. CNBC and Peacock air live coverage Saturday at 8 p.m. ET. Nick Zaccardi, One year ago, Rivera was the reigning U.S. junior all-around champion seeking to prove herself among internationally acclaimed senior gymnasts like Simone Biles and Suni Lee. Rivera finished 24th in the senior division at the 2024 U.S. Classic (about a week after her grandmother died), then sixth in her senior U.S. Championships debut and fifth at the Olympic Trials. She was picked for the five-woman Olympic team and, at age 16, was the youngest U.S. athlete across all sports in Paris. She has a gold medal to show for it. Plus a set of Olympic rings on the wall above her bed. 'My mindset is kind of like, I achieved my dreams, I achieved my goals, but I still have more (goals), so I kind of like to put that (the Olympics) in the back of my head for now,' Rivera told NBC Sports. 'Every time in the gym, I don't think that I went to the Olympics. I'm just kind of training like I've almost never been, in a way.' In Paris, Rivera competed on uneven bars and balance beam in the qualifying round. She became the youngest American to win Olympic gold since swimmer Katie Ledecky and gymnast Kyla Ross at the 2012 London Games. She learned from practicing with Biles, seeing up close how the greatest of all time perfected her routines. She gained confidence from going on walks and getting coffee with Lee, who told Rivera to trust her training. After coming home, Rivera took two well-earned and much-needed weeks off from gymnastics. 'I laid down, or I sat on the couch. That's literally all I did.' She returned to training at the World Olympic Gymnastics Academy in Texas, overcame three weeks of initial soreness and was back competing in February. Last month, she helped lead the U.S. to the Pan American team title, plus took all-around bronze at the meet in Panama (won by Jayla Hang, who is also in the Classic field). Rivera boldly went into the 2024 season believing she could make the Olympic team. Ahead of this year's biggest meets, she has already discussed new goals with coach Valeri Liukin. At nationals in New Orleans from Aug. 7-10, she can become the youngest U.S. senior all-around champion since Ragan Smith in 2017. Then in the early fall, a selection competition will be held, after which the four-woman roster will be announced for October's World Championships in Indonesia. This year's worlds include individual events only. 'I've truly just found a next level of confidence in myself that honestly wasn't really there last year,' she said. 'I've been more confident in my gymnastics this past year, especially these past few months. I've been feeling more comfortable with my gymnastics, and I can trust myself a little bit more. ... I'm just really excited to show everyone and prove to myself that I can do this again.' Mary Omatiga,
NBC Sports
14-07-2025
- Sport
- NBC Sports
2025 U.S. Classic gymnastics: how to watch, field, preview
The U.S. Classic, the top tune-up meet for the U.S. Gymnastics Championships, airs live on CNBC and Peacock on Saturday at 8 p.m. ET. NBC airs highlights Sunday at 4 p.m. ET. Hezly Rivera, the youngest member of the 2024 Olympic champion team, headlines the field that will compete in Hoffman Estates, Illinois. Rivera, now 17, is joined by 2024 Olympic alternates Leanne Wong, Joscelyn Roberson and Tiana Sumanasekera. Plus Jayla Hang, who won the Pan American all-around title in June over a field that included Rivera. Traditionally, not all of the top gymnasts compete on all four events at Classic, though at least Rivera is expected to do so. Gymnasts are preparing for the U.S. Championships from Aug. 7-10 in New Orleans. Then a selection competition will be held in late September and early October to determine the four-woman team for the World Championships in October in Indonesia. Simone Biles won five of the last six U.S. Classic meets dating to 2018, with Wong taking the other in 2022 during Biles' break from competition. Biles is now on another break from competition and has not announced whether she plans to return to bid for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics. 2025 U.S. Classic Gymnastics Field Gymnasts are split between two sessions — the first on Saturday at 3 p.m. ET on the USA Gymnastics YouTube page and the second at 8 p.m. ET on CNBC and Peacock. Sage Bradford (Session 1) Harlow Buddendeck (1) Dulcy Caylor (2) Ally Damelio (1) Jordis Eichman (1) Reese Esponda (1) Catherine Guy (1) Jayla Hang (2) Gabrielle Hardie (2) Myli Lew (2) Nola Matthews (2) Annalisa Milton (2) Malea Milton (1) Avery Moll (1) Claire Pease (2) Brooke Pierson (1) Hezly Rivera (2) Joscelyn Roberson (2) Alessia Rosa (2) Simone Rose (2) Izzy Stassi (2) Ashlee Sullivan (2) Tiana Sumanasekera (2) Maliha Tressel (1) Audree Valdenarro (1) Sabrina Visconti (1) Camie Westerman (1) Halle Shea Wittenberg (1) Leanne Wong (2) Alicia Zhou (2) Nick Zaccardi,
Time of India
01-07-2025
- Sport
- Time of India
'That's simply crazy to me': Suni Lee reveals Simone Biles' routines push gymnasts to their breaking point
'That's simply crazy to me': Suni Lee reveals Simone Biles' routines push gymnasts to their breaking point (Image via Getty) Simone Biles has always stood out in the world of gymnastics, not just for winning medals but for the way she performs. Her routines are often so difficult that even judges find it hard to score them fairly. But Biles' greatness doesn't only affect fans, it also pushes her teammates to do better. One of them once explained how Simone's performances made her work harder than ever. Suni Lee says Simone Biles pushes her to improve by doing harder routines Olympic gymnast Suni Lee discussed in 2020 how Simone Biles inspires her. Talking with the Olympics. com, Lee said that watching Biles perform difficult moves motivated her also to stretch herself. Her fight surpasses that of everyone else. She said, Hence, it mildly inspires me to offer whatever I can. The ranking of the two gymnasts for Team USA at major events including the 2019 World Championships, the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, and the 2024 Paris Olympics will be decided by their side-by-side battles. Together they assisted the U. S. squad events winning silver medals in Tokyo and gold medals in Paris. Lee also recalled how she came second to Biles during the team selection for the 2019 U. S. Women's World Championships. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Fastest Selling Plots of Mysore from 40L | 40+ Amenities PurpleBrick Learn More Undo "I did not believe I could be second to Simone," she said. "That's simply crazy to me." She said that striving to match Biles inspired her daily effort. Simone Biles explains why she does the hardest moves in gymnastics Over the years, Simone Biles has created five original skills in gymnastics, named after her. Among these five, two are on vaults, two on floor, and one on the balance beam. First performed at the U. S. Classic in 2021, her most difficult move is the Yurchenko double pike, which combines a round-off, a back handspring, and a double pike flip on a single vault. It's one of the hardest moves ever done in the sport. Also Read: Simone Biles Drops Jaw-Dropping Rare Olympic Photos And Videos Fans Never Saw Before On Olympic Day Simone Biles once told Teen Vogue in 2021 that people sometimes think her routines are too hard for fair scoring. She said, 'They don't want the field to be too far apart… but that's on them.' When asked why she keeps doing such tough moves, Biles said with confidence, 'Because I can.' Game On Season 1 continues with Mirabai Chanu's inspiring story. Watch Episode 2 here.
