There won’t be two Olympic all-around champions competing at this month’s World Artistic Gymnastics Championships after all.
The last two women to take the crown, Americans Simone Biles (2016) and Sunisa Lee (2020), have both returned to elite competition this season after taking hiatuses since the Tokyo 2020 Games, but only Biles is set to compete at next week’s U.S. World Championships selection event in Katy, Texas, outside Houston.
Lee, who has been dealing with a kidney-related health issue since March, was invited to the camp but declined to attend, according to USA Gymnastics.
“I have been in and out of the gym just because there’s just so many doctor’s appointments, and I’m taking a lot of medication, so it kind of varies every day,” Lee told Olympics.com in an exclusive interview last month. “I could wake up very swollen some days and not be able to put my fingers inside my grips. It’s really difficult to kind of work through, but on the days that I can do stuff and I am feeling good, I try and take advantage of that and just get everything done.”
The U.S. selection event is set for Tuesday and Wednesday (19-20 September) with the highest scoring gymnast after day one locking her spot to the U.S. team.
In addition to Biles, the roster of athletes competing at the selection event include Olympic floor champion Jade Carey and team silver medallist Jordan Chiles. 2022 World team gold medallists Skye Blakely, Shilese Jones and Leanne Wong are also expected to participate.
