Simone Biles looks all but unstoppable as she aims to secure her place in the Paris Olympics at the US Olympic gymnastics trials this week. The competition to fill out the five-woman roster promises to be fierce.

Biles, 27, captured her ninth US all-around title earlier this month, winning on all four apparatus at the US Championships in Fort Worth, Texas. Her coach, Cecile Landi, credits Biles' success to her ability to manage mental health combined with her sheer talent and formidable work ethic.

"I think we always knew she could be better," Landi said on Wednesday as women began training at the Target Center in Minneapolis, where the trials start on Thursday with men's competition. "She's the most talented athlete I've ever worked with, and if she could get her mental game as well as her physical game, then she would be close to unstoppable."

Biles dazzled the world by winning four gold medals at the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympics. However, her expected star turn at the pandemic-delayed Tokyo Games was cut short when she withdrew due to the "twisties" – a temporary mental block where gymnasts lose their sense of where they are in the air.

Since returning to competition in August, Biles has gone from strength to strength, accumulating more medals, including an all-around gold at last year's world championships. Landi noted that a better work-life balance has only helped Biles excel in the gym. "Being 27, married, and having other interests outside gymnastics helps her maintain a good balance," Landi said.

The Olympic trials are a nerve-wracking affair, consisting of two days of competition each for women and men. The athletes emerging as the all-around winners will secure their Olympic berths. A selection committee will then choose the remaining team members, considering performances at trials, other competitions including the national championships, and what combination of athletes might give the United States their best Olympic scoring chances.

The 16 women in the field include Suni Lee, who won all-around gold and uneven bars bronze in Tokyo. Lee is in her best form since battling career-threatening kidney disease, finishing fourth at the US championships in her first elite all-around competition since Tokyo.

Defending Olympic floor champion Jade Carey, a seven-time world medallist, is seeking another trip to the Games, as is Jordan Chiles, who helped the US to team silver in Tokyo.

A lot is riding on the trials for 21-year-old Shilese Jones, who won all-around bronze at the 2023 worlds but missed the US Championships due to a shoulder injury. Jones had to petition for an invitation to trials, and coach Sarah Korngold confirmed that she arrived in Minneapolis pain-free and ready to challenge for a first Olympic berth.

However, Skye Blakely, a two-time world team gold medallist expected to contend for a spot on the Olympic team, was injured in training on Wednesday, and her status for the competition remains unclear. Kayla DiCello, an alternate in Tokyo, won the Winter Cup in February and took all-around bronze at the US Championships.

"Olympic trials for any sport is the hardest thing that you'll ever do in life because the finishing product is obviously the Olympics," Chiles said. "This is where we're making an Olympic team."

The women's competition begins on Friday and concludes on Sunday, when the team for Paris will be announced.

On the men's side, twenty athletes will compete for five Olympic berths starting on Thursday. Brody Malone, who recently won his third US all-around title after recovering from severe knee injuries, leads the field. His competition includes 2020 Olympian Yul Moldauer, who helped the United States to team bronze at the world championships last year – the men's first world medal since 2014.

Young stars Paul Juda, Fred Richardson, Asher Hong, and Khoi Young, who were part of that bronze-winning team, are also hoping for a chance to build on that success in Paris.