SAN JOSE, CALIF. – Maggie Nichols knows exactly what she has to do to be considered for a place on the U.S. Olympic team.
"I have to show I can hit all my routines under pressure," the gymnast from Little Canada said. "And that I'm very consistent, very powerful and clean."
It's a straightforward task, but not an easy one. Friday, when the Olympic trials begin at SAP Center, Nichols will perform all four events for the first time since March 5. She competed on only uneven bars and balance beam at last month's U.S. championships, her first meet since she had arthroscopic knee surgery in early April to repair a torn meniscus.
Nichols placed 10th on beam and 13th on bars at the nationals, the first of a two-step process to determine the five-member Olympic team. Coaches Sarah Jantzi and Mike Hunger said she has made considerable progress since then, and Nichols affirmed that after a Thursday training session.
"I'm maybe a little bit [nervous], just because I haven't had a lot of time to prepare for all four events," she said. "I just want to go out and do the best I can do. I'm not at my peak, not 100 percent like I used to be, but I'm trying to get there. I'm giving it my all."
In March, Nichols placed second in the all-around at the American Cup, then missed two major meets while she recovered from her injury. U.S. women's national team coordinator Martha Karolyi will be looking for her to replicate her previous form.
"She's coming back very nicely," said Karolyi, head of the committee that will pick the team. "She needs to do her routines with the difficulty level, and she needs to show confidence and consistency."
Simone says
Reigning world and U.S. all-around champ Simone Biles is an overwhelming favorite to finish atop the 14-athlete field and earn her first Olympic berth. Biles has owned the sport for the past few years, winning by enormous margins — including a nearly four-point gap in the all-around competition at last month's national championships.
