2016 Olympic Trials | Rewind: Where were they 4 years ago?

With the Olympics a little under a month away, the field of contenders vying for a spot on the Olympic Team has been narrowed down to fourteen. It's interesting to look at the athletes who are in contention and see how far they've come in the last 4 years. A lot can change in that amount of time...and this time 4 years ago everything was different. Below is the roster for the 2016 Olympic Trials and a look back on where these athletes were in 2012!

Simone Biles (Bannon's/WCC)

Four years ago, Simone Biles was still human, yet she was on the way to becoming something great and gym fans around the world could just sense it. In only her second year of elite competition, Simone competed her amanar vault for the first time at the Secret Classic, scoring a huge 16.050 after nailing the landing. (The first of many times she would go on to do that!) She won the competition and went on to place third all-around at the Visa Championships--becoming a member of the junior national team. Biles became the 2012 Junior National Champion on vault while also placing sixth on bars, beam, and floor. The following year Biles would turn senior and start her path down becoming the most dominate gymnast the world has ever seen! 

Christina Desiderio (Parkettes)

In 2012, Desiderio began her first season as a level 10. She wasn't a standout competitor, but she showed a lot of potential and promise right from the beginning. She placed 2nd all-around at the State Championships in addition to winning three individual titles. At Regionals she finished 6th all-around and won first on vault and beam. She qualified to JO Nationals and placed 54th in the Junior A division and fifth on beam. The following year Christina started the season as a level 10 and then began her journey down the elite path in the summer. 

Gabby Douglas (Chows/Buckeye)

4 years ago, Gabby Douglas was having the best year of her life. It all started at the American Cup where she wasn't technically a competitor, but she competed as an exhibitionist and unofficially won the competition over Jordyn Wieber and Aly Raisman.  As a member of the Pacific Rim team, she helped Team USA win the gold medal as well as taking home an individual gold on bars. A few months later she placed 2nd all-around at the Visa Championships and 1st on bars.  As the top bar worker currently in the United States, she was nicknamed the "Flying Squirrel" by National Team Coordinator, Martha Karolyi because of her sky high releases. At the 2012 Olympic Trials, Gabby edged out Jordyn Wieber for first place, securing the only guaranteed spot on the Olympic team. At the Olympic Games, Gabby won two golds, one with the team and of course the individual all-all-around. The rest, as they say, is history! 

Brenna Dowell (GAGE)

4 years ago, Brenna found herself embarking down the same path she is today; not quite in the hunt to vie for a spot on that Olympic Team, but looking very good for potentially securing an alternate position. As a first year senior, Brenna started her 2012 season in Jesolo where she finished 7th all-around, second on bars, and eighth on vault. On the floor she debuted her signature skill--front handspring piked double front (which would go on to become the Dowell in the code of points a few years later.) At the Visa Championships she finished 9th all-around and was invited to the Olympic Trials. At Trials she finished 9th all-around once again and although she was not named to the Olympic team, she was selected to compete at the Mexican Open later in the year. This was Brenna's time to shine, winning the all-around title as well as vault, bars, and floor! This was the first individual title (and only to date) that Brenna has won in her elite career. 

Rachel Gowey (Chows)

2012 was Rachel's first and only year as a level 10 and it was a very dominate year for her. Rachel won the all-around and all the event titles at nearly every invitational she competed in. Towards the end of her season she once again swept the all-around and every event title at the State Championships. A few weeks later at Regionals she won beam, floor, and the all-around title. Rachel concluded her season at the JO National Championships, finish second all-around and first on beam. After such a strong season as a level 10, it was no surprise that Rachel moved into the senior elite ranks the following year. 

Laurie Hernandez (MG Elite)

Laurie's spunky routines and upbeat personality easily caught everyone's attention during her first year of elite in 2012. Back then, Laurie wasn't the most polished or consistent competitor, but she quickly became a fan favorite amongst the gymternet. After finishing 11th all-around at the Secret Classic (with a fall), Laurie qualified to her first Championships where she finished 21st all-around. For Laurie Hernandez, this was only the beginning. Ironically, Laurie celebrated her 12th birthday at those Championships which was the exact same arena that she stole the show in just a few weeks ago at her first senior Championships.

Amelia Hundley (CGA)

Amelia Hundley was another fan favorite picked by the gymternet early on in her career. 2012 marked her 3rd year at the elite level and was perhaps one of her most successful elite seasons. Hundley's season began at the Pacific Rim where she was one of three juniors selected for the team. She contributed to the team gold as well as bringing home a silver on vault and floor. Next she competed in Jesolo where she placed 1st with the team and 3rd on vault. At the Secret Classic she got 2nd on beam and 3rd on vault, bars, and in the all-around. Amelia's season concluded at the Visa Championships where she got 3rd on bars, 4th on beam, 5th on vault, and 6th all-around. As a junior, Hundley was always known for her powerful gymnastics and great presentation on floor. 

Madison Kocian (WOGA)

2012 was a very quiet year for Kocian and at the time, many people were questioning her future as an elite gymnast. After sitting out for most of the 2011 season, Madison only competed at one meet in 2012, the WOGA Classic, winning a silver medal in the all-around and placing first on bars. Madison sat out the rest of the season due to a minor injury but was back with full force in 2013. 

Ashton Locklear (Everest)

In her 3rd year as a level 10, Ashton competed in several small level 10 competitions while working towards qualifying elite. In 2012, Ashton still competed on all four events, winning the all-around and floor title at her gyms annual meet--the Everest Classic, and also finishing 2nd all-around at the Atlantic Crown Invitational. At the level 10 session of the WOGA Classic she placed 5th all-around and first on bars and floor. She also attempted to qualify elite at this competition but was unsuccessful. Ashton concluded her 2012 season with a first place finish at Regionals on her key event--the uneven bars. 

Maggie Nichols (TCT)

After playing around with both elite and level 10 from 2009-2011, Maggie shifted her complete and total focus to just elite in 2012. At the American Classic she placed 2nd on beam and 3rd on vault and in the all-around. Her performance was good enough to qualify her straight to the Visa Championships! Like many gymnasts do, she used the Secret Classic as a warmup to prepare for her first Visa Championships, Her best finish came on vault where she finished 7th.  At the Visa Championships Maggie had a solid performance placing 11th all-around, 10th on vault, 14th on bars, 10th on beam and 11th on floor. This set Maggie up for greater things to come within the next few years. 

Aly Raisman (Brestyans) 

From a first time Olympian to a veteran on the World stage, two things have always remained the same for Aly Raisman--she's dependable and a leader. 4 years ago, Aly had perhaps the best year in her gymnastics career. Finishing 2nd all-around at the American Cup and 2nd once again a few weeks later at the Jesolo Trophy. She kicked off her summer by winning the all-around title at the Secret Classic and finishing third all-around at the Visa Championships a few weeks later. Aly also became the national champion on her two best events, beam and floor. At the Olympic Trials she repeated that performance, finishing 3rd all-around and winning beam and floor once again. As a member of the Olympic Team, Raisman became the most decorated US female gymnast of the games, winning two golds (team and floor) and a bronze on beam. 

Emily Schild (Everest) 

In her first year as a level 10, Emily had a very consistent year, finishing 8th all-around, 3rd on vault, and 2nd on floor at the State Championships. At Regionals she finished 8th all-around and 3rd on beam. A few weeks later at JO Nationals, she placed 9th on vault and in the all-around. Emily attempted to qualify elite at the WOGA Classic but fell short by several points. However she did place 2nd on vault with a clean yurchenko full! 

Mykayla Skinner (Dessert Lights)

4 years ago, Mykayla Skinner was still wowing the crowd with her difficult skills, however she lacked the consistency and experience to really be in the conversation for London. In her first year as a senior, Mykayla was a member of the gold medal winning team in Jesolo and also finished 10th all-around, 5th on vault, and 4th on floor. At the Visa Championships she placed 15th all-around and 3rd on vault. Ultimately, Mykayla did not qualify to Olympic Trials but came back in 2013 with more difficulty and motivation! 

Ragan Smith (Northwind/Texas Dreams)

In 2012, Ragan began her first and only season as a level 10, however she also competed in several elite qualifiers, eventually qualifying herself as a pre-elite. At the State Championships she placed 4th all-around, 4th on vault, 3rd on bars, 9th on beam, and 5th on floor. She became the Regional Champion on floor as well as placing 4th on vault, 3rd on beam, and 6th all-around. At the JO National Championships, Ragan didn't have her best performance, only cracking into the top 20 on one event which was floor where she was 17th. However, she finished the season on a strong note, finishing 2nd all-around and 1st on floor at the US Challenge. The perfect way to kick off her elite career that would begin in 2013.