The road to Rio

What: U.S. gymnastics championships for women and junior men/men's gymnastics Olympic trials

When: Thursday-Sunday

Where: Chaifetz Arena, St. Louis

At stake for the women: The meet will crown national champions at the junior and senior levels and serve as the first part of the selection process for the five-member Olympic team. The team will be named after the Olympic trials July 8-10 in San Jose, Calif.

At stake for the men: Junior-level athletes will compete for national championships, while 18 senior-level gymnasts will compete in the Olympic trials for spots on the five-member Olympic team, which will be announced Saturday.

Schedule: Thursday and Saturday, junior men (1 p.m.) and men's Olympic trials (7 p.m.). Friday and Sunday: junior women (1 p.m.) and senior women (7:30 p.m.).

TV: Live coverage of all four evening sessions will be televised on NBC (Friday, Saturday and Sunday, 8 p.m.) and NBCSN (Thursday, 7:30 p.m.). A live webcast of all four junior sessions, beginning at 1 p.m. each day, is available at www.stlouis2016.com

Local connections: Maggie Nichols (Little Canada), who won team gold and a bronze in floor exercise at the 2015 world championships, headlines a group of seven athletes with Minnesota ties. Nichols and two others from her Twin City Twisters gym — Abby Paulson (Coon Rapids) and Olivia Trautman (Champlin) — are part of the senior women's field, as is Lexy Ramler (St. Michael/KidSport). The junior women's field includes Sunisa Lee (St. Paul/Midwest Gymnastics Center) and Tori Tatum (Chanhassen/Twin City Twisters). Shane Wiskus (Spring Park/Mini-Hops) will compete at the junior men's 15-16 level.

For results and information: www.stlouis2016.com

RACHEL BLOUNT