Mélanie De Jesus Dos Santos, Ming van Eijken, Coline Devillard, Marine Boyer, and Morgane Osyssek

The start lists for the women’s qualifications at the 2024 Olympic Games have been released, and we’re going to talk through each team and notable individuals based on what we’re expecting to see in each subdivision, including any surprises and who will have the best opportunities for finals.

TEAM NOTES

Coming off of a bronze medal at world championships last year, the French women competing at home are going to be one of the biggest stories at this year’s Olympic Games. They certainly have the talent and experience to repeat a podium finish, especially with veterans Mélanie De Jesus Dos Santos, Marine Boyer, and Coline Devillard leading the way alongside the newcomers who have made a big impression this year, with Morgane Osyssek having a breakout performance at worlds last year and first-year senior Ming van Eijken a standout at Euros this spring.

The Canadian team, which also won a team medal at worlds this quad, also competes in this subdivision. I’m less confident about their chances, especially after a rough competition in Antwerp last year, but as with France, the talent is there – it’s just a matter of putting it all together when it counts. Four-time Olympian Ellie Black will lead a team that also includes young all-arounders Ava Stewart and Aurélie Tran, vaulter Shallon Olsen, and Cassie Lee, a beam standout who will also compete on bars and floor. I could see them either solidly earning a spot in the team final if all goes according to plan, or missing entirely by a wide margin if they melt down.

Finally, we’ll see South Korea in the fourth subdivision as well, back at the Games as a team for the first time since their nation hosted in 1988 after a stellar performance at worlds last year. We haven’t seen much of either of the country’s star performers – Olympic vault medalist Yeo Seojeong and Tokyo teammate Lee Yunseo, an all-around and bars standout – at all this year, but national champion Shin Solyi has looked strong, and Lee Dayeong and Eom Dohyun should round them out with solid routines. I think for this team, simply being at the Games is a big deal right now and don’t see them making the final, though they do have some individual final potential.

ALL-AROUND NOTES

For the host country, De Jesus Dos Santos is the star athlete with the hopes of qualifying into a number of finals, with the all-around being most likely, with a medal on the line if she can overcome the usual finals nerves we see so often from her. Osyssek is also competing all four events for France, and she also has the scores to reach the final pretty easily if we see her do what she’s capable of in prelims.

Black will of course be the standout for the Canadians, and she’s another one with podium potential, though with a bit of a deficit on floor, I think it’ll take mistakes from others to see her get a medal. Tran and Stewart, who finished behind Black at nationals, are both also on the roster to compete all four events, and I’d say they’re both equally likely to earn a second finals spot for Canada, so it’ll just come down to who has the better day.

South Korea has Lee and Shin in the all-around, with Lee typically stronger, though she hasn’t competed since worlds last year so it’s hard to gauge how she’ll fare here, while Shin had tons of success at nationals in the spring, winning the all-around, bars, beam, and floor titles. I do think we’ll see at least one in the final, but again, as with so much in this sport it will depend on how things go tomorrow.

All four individuals in this subdivision are slated to compete in the all-around during qualifications, with Sona Artamonova of Czechia the strongest overall, but I think even she would be a surprise for the final. Charlize Mörz of Austria, Lucija Hribar of Slovenia, and Lynnzee Brown of Haiti generally do not score high enough to fit that 51-52 sweet spot that should mark the final cutoff, but all will bring great things to the table in their Olympic debuts in Paris.

VAULT NOTES

The top athlete to watch on vault in this subdivision is Yeo, the reigning Olympic bronze medalist with her own eponymous vault – a handspring front double full – and a generally impressive level of difficulty even without this. She was quite downgraded at nationals this spring, but if she brings back her handspring rudi and Yurchenko double full at the very least, I’d say she’s practically a guarantee for the final with a hit day.

Devillard and van Eijken both picked up vault medals at Euros in May, with Devillard another one very likely for the final, while van Eijken – who matches Devillard in difficulty if not in finesse – could be on the bubble, while for Canada, we’ll see two vaults from two-time Olympic vault finalist Olsen as well as from Black. I don’t know if I’d consider either a lock for the final, with Black likely on the bubble while Olsen should conceivably make it in on difficulty but her execution has been a bit lacking this quad, so we’ll see what she can do here in Paris.

UNEVEN BARS NOTES

This isn’t a super bars-heavy subdivision, but De Jesus Dos Santos is always a standout for the French team, and has scored in the mid-14s at two challenge cups in the spring, which could be enough for the final here if she can compete a comparable routine.

I don’t think anyone else has a big shot at the final, but Black will likely be Canada’s best hope, while Lee is generally excellent here, though doesn’t get the execution scores she needs to make a big impression, and even a hit routine could fall a few tenths short.

BALANCE BEAM NOTES

The French team is very talented on beam, with both De Jesus Dos Santos and Boyer regulars in international finals on this apparatus. De Jesus Dos Santos can be a bit hit or miss, but when she hits it’s stellar, while Boyer doesn’t have that 6.0+ level of difficulty we’ll see from some athletes, though her execution should be among the highest we’ll see if she reaches her full potential.

Black will also be hoping to reach this final, which I believe she’s capable of with a hit routine, and I also love Lee for Canada here. She had some struggles at worlds last year, but she’s incredibly talented on this apparatus with big skills and a great performance level that could see her on the bubble.

FLOOR EXERCISE NOTES

Surprise surprise, again I have De Jesus Dos Santos on the list. Her scores aren’t through the roof, so I do consider her more of a maybe than a lock even with a hit routine, but I think a high 13 will be the cutoff and it’s definitely something she’s able to pull off, with Osyssek the next-likely for France thanks to her big and generally clean tumbling.

I don’t think Black will have the difficulty to reach this final, but she’s again one of Canada’s best here, and I’m going to include Tran as well simply because she’s gorgeous to watch. I also love watching former collegiate standout Brown on this apparatus – her tumbling and performance quality are divine! – while Mörz isn’t the cleanest, but should wow the crowd with her high levels of difficulty that helped her land a spot in Paris through her world cup performances.

Article by Lauren Hopkins