Kayla DiCello wins 2024 Winter Cup by more than two points, Sunisa Lee still looking for hit on new skill
LOUISVILLE, Kentucky – Kayla DiCello’s decision to defer her sophomore season with the Florida Gators is definitely paying off.
The 2020 Olympic team alternate, 2021 World all-around bronze medalist, and 2023 Pan American Games all-around champion added another accolade to her growing resume Saturday when she won the all-around, bars, and floor in the senior women’s division at the 2024 Winter Cup.
DiCello bested second place finisher Skye Blakely by 2.2 points – 56.850 to 54.650. Hezly Rivera was third with a 54.000, and in her return to elite competition, Florida legend Trinity Thomas was fourth with a 53.250.
There was no vault winner, as no athlete competed two vaults. Blakely and Rivera tied for the beam title with matching 14.500s.
“I think this meet was really good, just for me and my confidence,” DiCello said after the meet. “Going in, this meet, I was really just focused on hitting my routines, trying out my new skills that I’ve been working on, and gaining some confidence with that, and I think I did a pretty good job with that.”
DiCello showed quite a few new skills and did so superbly, earning 14+ on all four events, including a Hindorff (clear hip Tkatchev) and Church (toe-on piked Tkatchev) to Pak salto on bars (14.300), 2.5 twist to front full on floor (14.050), and a 2.5 twist dismount off beam (14.300). She also showed a textbook double-twisting Yurchenko for a 14.200 on vault – tied for the highest single vault score of the meet.
Last April, DiCello announced she would take a gap year from the University of Florida to return to her club gym, Hill’s Gymnastics, bringing her former elite coach, Kelli Hill, out of retirement in the process. The decision began to pay off when she was named to the U.S. national team after finishing eighth at nationals, followed by serving as the alternate for the 2023 world team, and winning gold with the team and in the all-around at the Pan American Games.
“I feel a lot better than I did back in 2021,” DiCello said of the last Olympic year. “Just with all the experience, it’s been very helpful and it helps my confidence and really just trusting myself and trusting the skills that I’m showing.”
Five athletes will ultimately be named to the Olympic team for the 2024 Paris Olympic Games this summer, and while this isn’t an “official” tryout meet, DiCello’s statement performance is exactly that – a statement. To the selection committee and her competitors.
While international scoring is tighter, a 56.850 would have put DiCello second in the all-around at worlds last year – ahead of Brazil’s Rebeca Andrade and U.S. teammate Shilese Jones, and only behind Simone Biles (58.399).
The Olympic year is long and short at the same time. There are less than six months until Paris, but they will fly by. How DiCello and Hill approach the time between now and nationals and Olympic Trials – the two “official” tryout events – will dictate how her second Olympic push ultimately plays out. But one thing is clear: DiCello is consistent, reliable, and she’s capable of putting up competitive teams that the U.S. squad could certainly use in Paris.
Sunisa Lee’s first attempt at new skill unsuccessful
It was the first time Sunisa Lee fell on the full-twisting, laid-out Jaeger since arriving in Louisville, but it was the one time that counted.
“It obviously wasn’t what I wanted, but in all honesty, I think that it’s good that it happened here, rather than somewhere else. You can’t get anywhere without failing,” Lee said after the meet.
The reigning Olympic all-around champion’s quest to get the new skill named after her hit a snag on Saturday inside the Kentucky International Convention Center when she missed the catch on the skill by mere fingertips. Luckily, this was a test run. The skill, which has been given an H difficulty value domestically by USA Gymnastics, won’t be named after her until she hits it successfully in international competition. The question is now whether she’ll be given the chance to do so, as she came to Louisville to earn an assignment to the Baku World Cup in Azerbaijan. Assignments are expected to be announced by Monday.
“Personally, I feel like they should [send her to Baku],” Lee’s coach Jess Graba said. “She proved herself, that it’s ready to go. She needs to compete it.”
Lee was mad, frustrated, and crying, but it’s better that it happened in a smaller domestic meet than in her attempt at a World Cup or even the Olympics. And she’s in a supportive environment, where coaches and athletes comforted her after the uncharacteristic fall.
“Every coach over there is coming over – Kelli Hill and Laurent Land and [others] – saying, ‘Hey, Suni, we see you every day in practice,” Graba said. “I mean, they’re all supportive. The whole community is very supportive. That’s probably why she enjoys it here.”
It looked questionable whether Lee would compete on beam in the following fourth and final rotation, but she did end up doing a routine, just not the one she’s been training. She reverted to her old straddle mount – instead of the roundoff layout to back handspring to back handspring that she’s been training. Unfortunately, she wasn’t in the right mindset – “I just couldn’t get my head on straight” – and fell on her side aerial before connecting to the layout that she typically does. She scored a commendable 12.900 despite the fall and a timer layout dismount.
Trinity Thomas competes all-around despite nagging injury, fourth with room for improvement
“I feel great. I feel like I’m ready for a good nap. But I’m just super excited, super blessed, super thankful for the way I competed tonight.”
That was Gator great Trinity Thomas’ assessment of her first elite competition since 2019.
Thomas didn’t let a lingering foot injury get in the way of her performance in Louisville, opting to compete in the all-around a day after saying she was definitely doing bars and beam, but wavering on all four.
The result was a 14.050 on bars (good for second place), 13.200 on beam, 12.800 on floor, and 13.200 on vault. The first two events were outstanding, with Thomas’ NCAA experience showing as she earned execution scores of 8.450 and 8.100 on bars and beam, respectively. On floor, her tumbling was powerful as she showed her trademark double layout, but she was dinged on landing adjustments that included a three-tenths neutral deduction for going out of bounds on her opening punch front full through to double back. Cleaned up landings will see that set, as is, score in the high 13s. On vault, she went with a watered down full-twisting Yurchenko that can easily be upgraded when her health allows.
While Thomas trained with her old club coaches during podium training, Florida head coach Jenny Rowland and assistant coach Owen Field caught a 6 a.m. flight out of Gainesville this morning to be with their athlete, who is also the Florida student assistant coach, after the Gators beat LSU last night.
“It was a great day yesterday for the Gators and a great day today for the Gators,” Rowland said after the meet.
Of Thomas’ decision to compete all four events, Rowland said she was feeling “okay” and wanted to try and see how it went. Now, she’s qualified to nationals at the end of May and can get back to training with that weight lifted off her shoulders.
“The more you practice competing, the better you get, and five years [going] through NCAA season for her really helped her to be able to compete, even if she wasn’t 100% on any given day,” Rowland said of Thomas’ NCAA experience translating to the elite stage.
Senior Women – 2024 Winter Cup results
All-around top 4:
- Kayla DiCello (Hill’s) – 56.850
- Skye Blakely (WOGA) – 54.650
- Hezly Rivera (WOGA) – 54.000
- Trinity Thomas (Florida) – 53.250
Event winners:
- Vault: No one did two vaults
- Uneven bars: Kayla DiCello – 14.300
- Balance beam: TIE – Hezly Rivera & Skye Blakely – 14.500
- Floor exercise: Kayla DiCello – 14.050
Full results here. For our full play-by-play, check out our live blog here.
Note: In case you missed it, Gabby Douglas withdrew from Winter Cup after testing positive for COVID-19.
