Suni Lee sets return to U.S. gymnastics national team camp

Olympic all-around champion Suni Lee is expected to take part in a USA Gymnastics national team camp starting Sunday, backing up her prior statements that she plans to return to elite gymnastics ahead of the 2024 Paris Games.

Lee, who is going into her sophomore season at Auburn, is on the camp list along with Olympic teammate Jade Carey, who also began her college career last season (for Oregon State).

Other notable attendees include 2021 World Championships all-around bronze medalist Kayla DiCello, plus Konnor McClain and Skye Blakely, who went one-two at February’s Winter Cup. The four-day camp is in Katy, Texas.

Often, gymnasts who attend a summer national team camp do so with intentions of competing at the U.S. Classic, the main tune-up meet before nationals, and also the national championships. The U.S. Classic is July 30. Nationals are Aug. 18-21. The world championships are in October and November in Liverpool, Great Britain.

Lee has not said publicly whether she intends to compete at those meets. Her last elite gymnastics competition, which is different from college gymnastics, was the Tokyo Games.

None of the previous U.S. women to win an Olympic all-around title — Mary Lou Retton, Carly Patterson, Nastia Liukin, Gabby Douglas and Simone Biles — competed at the world championships the year following the Olympics.

Lee’s Olympic teammates Carey and Jordan Chiles have also said they plan to return to elite competition. Grace McCallum, an Olympian who began her college career at Utah last season, said in the early spring that she was undecided.

Simone Biles hasn’t ruled out a run for a third Olympics in 2024, but has not announced any specific comeback plans. MyKayla Skinner is the lone member of the Tokyo Olympic