LOUISVILLE, Kentucky (Feb. 20, 2024) – The USA Gymnastics domestic season kicks off with the 2024 Winter Cup February 23-25 in Louisville, Kentucky. Over 200 of the nation’s top elite and Level 8-10 men’s and women’s artistic athletes will compete at the Kentucky International Convention Center for all-around titles, National Team placements and international assignments.

Winter Cup will be the first competition of the 2024 Olympic Year, with a field of athletes that includes two Olympic champions, five Olympians, six Winter Cup all-around champions and over 10 World champions and medalists. The competition in Downtown Louisville will be the first step for U.S. athletes towards the 2024 Summer Olympic Games in Paris.

Team spots on the line for men

After a strong performance last year, Olympian Yul Moldauer (Arvada, Colo./5280 Gymnastics) looks to repeat as Winter Cup all-around champion in 2024. He leads a deep field comprised of fellow Olympians Shane Wiskus (Spring Park, Minn./EVO Gymnastics) and Brody Malone (Aragon, Ga./EVO Gymnastics), who will compete in his first premier event since sustaining a serious knee injury in 2023. Two-time World medalist Donnell Whittenburg (Baltimore, Md./Salto Gymnastics Center) will also highlight the men’s roster alongside 2021 World pommel horse champion Stephen Nedoroscik (Worcester, Mass./EVO Gymnastics) and 2023 Pan American games team and parallel bars champion Curran Phillips (Naperville, Ill./EVO Gymnastics).

After two days of competition, the men’s Senior National Team will be named through the Xfinity U.S. Gymnastics Championships in late May.

High-profile returns heat up women’s field

Returning to elite gymnastics for the first time since the Olympic games in 2016, 2012 Olympic all-around champion Gabby Douglas (Virginia Beach, Va./WOGA Gymnastics) will compete on beam, floor and vault in Louisville. Reigning Olympic all-around champion Suni Lee (St. Paul, Minn./Midwest Gymnastics Center) will contest beam and bars at Winter Cup, where she is likely to debut a new skill on bars. 2023 NCAA team and uneven bars silver medalist Trinity Thomas (York, Pa./University of Florida) also will return to elite gymnastics in Louisville, competing in the all-around.

2022 World team champion Lexi Zeiss (Omaha, Neb./Twin City Twisters) returns as the defending all-around champion after taking the 2023 Winter Cup title. In addition to the returning veterans, she faces 2023 Pan Am Games gold medalist Kayla DiCello (Boyds, Md./Hill’s Gymnastics) as well as a rich field of gymnasts who will make their senior debuts, including 2023 Junior World team and floor exercise silver medalist Hezly Rivera (Plano, Texas/WOGA Gymnastics), 2023 Junior World team silver medalist Jayla Hang (Bellevue, Wash./Pacific Reign Gymnastics) and 2023 U.S. vault bronze medalist Simone Rose (Sammamish, Wash./Pacific Reign Gymnastics).

With last year’s podium winners now in the senior division, the junior podium spots are ripe for the taking. Eyeing a spot after a successful international stint last year is 2023 Combs La Ville International Tournament team, bars and beam champion Claire Pease (Sunnyvale, Texas/WOGA Gymnastics) and 2023 Hopes Championships all-around champion Jaysha McClendon (Scottsdale, Ariz./Rebound Gymnastics West).

Based on the weekend’s results, international assignments will be awarded for the upcoming the International Gymnix March 8-10 in Canada, DTB Pokal Team Challenge and Mixed Cup March 15-17 in Germany, as well as various FIG world Cup competitions.

Nastia Liukin Cup/Elite Team Cup

The Nastia Liukin Cup is a national competition featuring Level 10 women’s artistic gymnasts who qualify to the event through the Nastia Liukin Cup Series. A total of 44 athletes will qualify and compete in the 2024 Nastia Liukin Cup on Sunday, February 25.

Junior elite men’s artistic athletes will take the floor in Louisville for the Elite Team Cup, a team competition for the nation’s top junior athletes from each of the nine men’s regions. Each region’s roster features up to eight athletes, with no more than six competing. Five athletes from each team compete on each apparatus, with the top four scores contributing to the overall team score.

Schedule/How to watch

The full competition schedule for the weekend is listed below and all sessions will stream live on the official USA Gymnastics YouTube Channel. Live scoring is available on myusagym.com. All information about the 2024 Winter Cup, Nastia Liukin Cup and Elite Team Cup can be found on their respective websites.

Friday, Feb. 23

• 1:30 p.m. ET – Winter Cup: Senior Men’s Competition Day 1
• 7:00 p.m. ET – Winter Cup: Junior Women’s Competition Day 1

Saturday, Feb. 24

• 1:00 p.m. ET – Winter Cup: Senior Women’s Competition – All-around & events
• 6:30 p.m. ET – Elite Team Cup Team Competition; Junior Men Competition Day 1 – All-around

Sunday, Feb. 25

• 12:00 p.m. ET – Nastia Liukin Cup
• 5:30 p.m. ET – Winter Cup: Senior Men’s Competition Day 2 – All-around & Event Finals & Junior Men’s Event Finals

The following registered athletes are past all-around champions of the USA Gymnastics Winter Cup.

Women
Hezly Rivera — Plano, Texas/WOGA Gymnastics (2023, Jr. Div.)
Lexi Zeiss — Omaha, Neb./Twin City Twisters (2023)

Men
Fuzzy Benas — Richmond, Texas/University of Oklahoma (2020)
Cameron Bock — Ann Arbor, Mich./University of Michigan (2021)
Yul Moldauer — Arvada, Colo./5280 Gymnastics (2023, 2019, 2017)
Kai Uemura — Chicago, IL/Lakeshore Academy of Art Gymnastics (2023, Jr. Div.)