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Olympic Rhythmic Gymnastics 2024: Where to Watch, Full Schedule
Evita Griskenas is they only American athlete competing for the U.S.'s first-ever Olympic medal in the all-female sport.
The USA will try for its first-ever medal in rhythmic gymnastics at the 2024 Summer Olympic Games in Paris.
Unlike its counterpart, artistic gymnastics, rhythmic gymnastics is a women-only sport incorporating dance and athleticism using four apparatuses: ribbon, hoop, ball, and clubs. Known for its beauty and musical accompaniments, the International Gymnastics Federation (F.I.G.) didn’t recognize the discipline until 1961, according to Olympics.com.
Rhythmic gymnastics made its Olympic debut at the 1984 Games in Los Angeles, though the U.S. team has yet to win a medal of any type in either the all-around individual or all-around group events.
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The only woman representing the U.S. in the 2024 Games hopes to change that.
Key athletes to watch
Returning Olympian Evita Griskenas, 23, is the only American to qualify for the 2024 Games. The Chicago-born gymnast was one of three to represent the U.S. in Tokyo, participating in the all-around, though she placed 12th individually, per her Team USA bio.
Her biggest competition in Paris may be five-time 2023 World Championship gold medalist Darja Varfolomeev of Germany.
Historically, Russia — whose athletes will be competing as Individual Neutral Athletes in the 2024 Games — has reigned supreme with 10 gold medals.
Griskenas was named USA Gymnastics Athlete of the Year in 2022 and 2023 and qualified for the 2024 Olympics after winning silver at the 2023 Pan-American Games in Santiago. She also took home gold at the 2019 Pan-Ams in Lima for the all-around and her performances in hoop, ball, and ribbon, and she holds five bronze medals in individual events between the Lima and Santiago games.
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She is the first American gymnast to win silver at the F.I.G.’s World Cup Series.
In an April 2023 interview with NBC Olympics, Griskenas described the work and dedication it took to make it to the Games.
"I wish they knew that it was more than just dance," she said. "And there's nothing wrong with dance, we incorporate dance - actually it's encouraged - but there's a lot of cross training that is involved; a lot of hours. People don't realize that once you do this, it's literally your entire lifestyle.”
When not training, Griskenas enjoys practicing calligraphy, writing, and spending time with her two beloved cats. She also studies psychology at New York’s Columbia University.
Learn more about the athletes headed to Paris on NBC's Olympics website.
How to watch
Every day during the Summer Olympics, NBC will offer fans at least nine hours of daytime coverage of the Games’ most exciting events, including live finals coverage of swimming, gymnastics, track and field, and more. Considering the time difference (Paris is six hours ahead of the U.S.’s eastern time zone), fans will be able to watch the day’s most popular events live on NBC in the morning and afternoon. NBC will also deliver an enhanced Olympics primetime show each night, providing three hours of must-see entertainment.
In addition, every event from the Summer Olympics will be broadcast live on Peacock, which will be home to an innovative Olympics hub that will include "curated rails of live and upcoming events, dedicated in-depth hubs for nearly 40 sports, medal standings and an interactive schedule."
Complete schedule for rhythmic gymnastics event
Thursday, August 8
4:00 a.m. ET: Indiv. All-Around: Qualification Part 1
9:00 a.m. ET: Indiv. All-Around: Qualification Part 2
Friday, August 9
4:00 a.m. ET: Group Competition: Qualification
8:30 a.m. ET: Individual All-Around: Final
Saturday, August 10
8:00 a.m. ET: Group Competition: Final
