With its daring tumbling passes, jaw-dropping flips and mesmerizing feats of strength, it’s not hard to see why gymnastics is an Olympic fan favorite.
And the 2024 Paris Games is sure to be no exception. Team USA will be bringing some of the sport’s fiercest competitors, including seven-time Olympic medal winner Simone Biles, to Paris in its quest to vie for the gold.
Competition will be divided among a total of 14 separate medal events, including team competitions for both the women’s and men’s team, according to NBCOlympics.com. On the individual level, top athletes in both the women’s and men’s categories will compete for medals on the individual apparatus, as well as an all-around competition reserved for only the top-ranked gymnasts from each country.
Key athletes to watch
Gymnastics phenom Simone Biles will be returning for her third Olympic games and is the clear front-runner. As the most decorated gymnast in history, the 27-year-old has 34 medals across world championships and Olympic competitions and is eager to add to her collection, according to The Associated Press. Biles was forced to step back from the Tokyo 2020 Summer Olympics after experiencing a debilitating mental roadblock known as the twisties, but has since worked through the issues and reclaimed her title as the all-around women’s champion in October.
RELATED: Where To Watch 2024 Paris Olympics: Complete Schedule
Suni Lee, the current reigning Olympic champ, is also making a return. Lee made history in 2021 when she became the first Asian American woman to win gold in the women’s all-around event at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, according to Olympics.com. Although kidney disease kept her sidelined from training in 2023, according to People, she is now managing the condition and took second place at the U.S. Olympic Trials.
On the men’s side, reigning world champion Hashimoto Daiki from Japan will be hard to beat. Daiki took home the gold in the men’s all-around competition in Tokyo and has two world championship titles to his name, Reuters reported.
Daiki could face some competition from the U.S. men’s team’s top seed, Frederick Richard, Richard, who has also made a name for himself as a TikTok star, finished on top in the Olympic Trials. The University of Michigan student, who is known for his prowess on the floor and high bar, also took the bronze all-around medal last year at the Artistic World Championships, according to NBC News.
How to watch
Every day during the Summer Olympics, NBC will offer fans at least nine hours of daytime coverage of the Games’ most exciting events, including live finals coverage of swimming, gymnastics, track and field, and more. Considering the time difference (Paris is six hours ahead of the U.S.’s eastern time zone), fans will be able to watch the day’s most popular events live on NBC in the morning and afternoon. NBC will also deliver an enhanced Olympics primetime show each night, providing three hours of must-see entertainment.
In addition, every event from the Summer Olympics will be broadcast live on Peacock, which will be home to an innovative Olympics hub that will include “curated rails of live and upcoming events, dedicated in-depth hubs for nearly 40 sports, medal standings and an interactive schedule.”
Complete schedule for Olympic gymnastics events
Saturday, July 27
5:00 a.m. ET: Men’s Qualification: Subdivsion 1
9:30 a.m. ET: Men’s Qualification: Subdivision 2
2:00 p.m. ET: Men’s Qualification: Subdivision 3
Sunday, July 28
3:30 a.m. ET: Women’s Qualification: Subdivision 1
5:40 a.m. ET: Women’s Qualification: Subdivision 2
8:50 a.m. ET: Women’s Qualification: Subdivision 3
12:00 p.m. ET: Women’s Qualification: Subdivision 4
3:10 p.m. ET: Women’s Qualification: Subdivision 5
Monday, July 29
11:30 a.m. ET: Men’s Team Final
Tuesday, July 30
12:15 p.m. ET: Women’s Team Final
Wednesday, July 31
11:30 a.m. ET: Men’s All-Around Final
Thursday, August 1
12:15 p.m. ET: Women’s All-Around Final
Saturday, August 3
9:30 a.m. ET: Men’s Floor Exercise Final
10:20 a.m. ET: Women’s Vault Final
11:10 a.m. ET: Men’s Pommel Horse Final
Sunday, August 4
9:00 a.m. ET: Men’s Rings Final
9:45 a.m. ET: Women’s Uneven Bar’s Final
10:35 a.m. ET: Men’s Vault Final
Monday, August 5
5:45 a.m. ET: Men’s Parallel Bars Final
6:36 a.m. ET: Women’s Balance Beam Final
7:30 a.m. ET: Men’s High Bar Final
8:20 a.m. ET: Women’s Floor Exercise Final