When mental issues forced Simone Biles to withdraw from last year’s (delayed) Tokyo 2020 Olympics, many fans thought we’d never see the likes of her again.
But, when aging forced Michael Jordan to retire, I remember thinking we’d never see the likes of him again. Then along came Kobe Bryant and LeBron James to wow us even more.
Therefore, I am not at all surprised that, just one year after Simone’s shocking dismount from competition, Konnor McClain and Shilese Jones are already wowing us even more.
For years, Konnor McClain seemed destined to become the best gymnast in the country: medals and acclaim starting in elementary school, and that TV segment with Steve Harvey at age 11 where she set her sights on the 2024 Olympic all-around title.
McClain fulfilled promise on Sunday, winning the U.S. all-around title at age 17 after first-day leader Shilese Jones fell on her very last skill, her uneven bars dismount. McClain became the sixth woman since 2000 to prevail in her senior nationals debut. The other five all became the best gymnast in the world, most recently Simone Biles.
(NBC Sports, August 21, 2022)
Simone who?
In other words, we love you Simone. But with Konnor, Shilese and Jordan, USA gymnastics looks poised to be not only blacker but better than ever…