USA Gymnastics Names Biles, Hurd & 4 More To 2018 World Championships Team

USA Gymnastics Names Biles, Hurd & 4 More To 2018 World Championships Team

The 2018 World Championships are just around the corner, and USA Gymnastics has just named the six stars to compete for the red, white, and blue.

Oct 12, 2018 by Hunter Sharpless
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The 2018 World Artistic Gymnastics Championships are less than two weeks away from starting in Doha, Qatar, and USA Gymnastics has just announced the six gymnasts who will be representing the red, white, and blue in the year's biggest international competition. A seventh alternate gymnast will be named in Qatar.

To no one's surprise, Simone Biles headlines this group, but reigning world champion Morgan Hurd will have something to say about helping in the team competition, too. In addition to that already-decorated pair, the team boasts amazing gymnasts in Kara Eaker, Grace McCallum, Riley McCusker, and Ragan Smith.

With this kind of firepower, the United States has a single mission in Qatar: gold.



Here's the full press release via USA Gymnastics:

SARASOTA, Fla., Oct. 12, 2018 – 2016 Olympic and 2018 U.S. all-around champion Simone Biles of Spring, Texas/World Champions Centre, headlines the 2018 U.S. Women’s World Championships Team. The team was determined by the Athlete Selection Committee at the conclusion of the World Team Selection Camp at EVO Athletics in Sarasota, Fla. 

The members of the 2018 U.S. Women’s World Championships Team are listed below. The alternate will be determined prior to competition at the World Championships in Doha, Qatar.

Simone Biles, Spring, Texas/World Champions Centre

Kara Eaker, Grain Valley, Missouri/ Great American Gymnastics Express

Morgan Hurd, Middletown, Del./First State Gymnastics

Grace McCallum, Isanti, Minn./Twin City Twisters

Riley McCusker, Brielle, N.J./MG Elite

Ragan Smith, Lewisville, Texas/Texas Dreams Gymnastics

Tom Forster, the women’s high-performance team coordinator, oversaw the selection camp. The members of the Athlete Selection Committee are: Forster; Terin Humphrey, athlete representative; and Tatiana Perskaia, International Elite Committee representative. 

The World Championships are Oct. 25-Nov. 4 and provide the first opportunity for countries to qualify for the 2020 Olympic Games. The three countries that medal in the team competition advance to the Games. 

At Worlds, the U.S. men compete in the qualification round in Subdivision 6 on Oct. 26 at 9 a.m. and begin on vault. The women’s qualifying round is Subdivision 5 on Oct. 27 at 6 p.m. The finals schedule is: Oct. 29, men’s team, 4 p.m.; Oct. 30, women’s team final, 4 p.m.; Oct. 31, men’s all-around, 4 p.m.; Nov. 1, women’s all-around; Nov. 2, event finals (men – floor exercise, pommel horse, still rings; women – vault, uneven bars), 4 p.m.; and Nov. 3, event finals (men – vault, parallel bars, horizontal bar; women – balance beam, floor exercise), 4 p.m. 

Based in Indianapolis, USA Gymnastics is the national governing body for gymnastics in the United States. The organization is committed to creating a culture that encourages and supports its athletes and focuses on its highest priority, the safety and well-being of the athletes. USA Gymnastics has already taken specific, concrete steps to strengthen its safe sport policies and procedures. The organization’s disciplines include men’s and women’s artistic gymnastics, rhythmic gymnastics, trampoline and tumbling, acrobatic gymnastics and gymnastics for all (formerly known as group gymnastics). For more complete information, log on to usagym.org.