HARTFORD, CT – MAY 18: Jade Carey competes in the floor exercise during the 2024 Core Hydration Classic on May 18, 2024, at the XL Center in Hartford, CT. (Photo by M. Anthony Nesmith/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
The 2026 U.S. Classic gymnastics competition should be one for the books. While the event serves as the final qualifying opportunity for the nation’s top elite gymnasts, in 2026, it also serves as the first televised outing for a pair of highly anticipated gymnastics comebacks.
Held from July 17-18 in Hartford, Connecticut, the event begins Friday with podium training sessions for the senior and junior elite competitors, as well as the Hopes Championships for aspiring youth gymnasts.
Katelyn Ohashi, Jade Carey to Shine
Three-time Olympic medalist Jade Carey and former UCLA gymnastics star Katelyn Ohashi will continue their elite gymnastics comebacks this week in Hartford. World champions Leanne Wong and Skye Blakely also headline the event, leading a roster full of U.S. National Team contenders.
Olympic Champion Jade Carey returns to her first U.S. Classic since 2024, after taking a break from elite competition following her medal-winning performances at the Paris Olympic Games.
Unlike her fellow veteran competitors, 29-year-old Ohashi enters Saturday’s competition with results in mind. Though Ohashi was impressive in June’s comeback debut on balance beam, her scores fell short of the combined total needed to qualify for August’s U.S. Championships.
While she hopes to qualify for her first senior U.S. Championships, the former NCAA champion will be content with any outcome in Hartford.
“At the end of the day, I think getting out there this year was really important to me, and I’ve done what I feel like I need to,” she said last week.
The elite competitions will be held Saturday, July 18, beginning with the junior athletes at 2 p.m. ET and the senior athletes at 7 p.m. ET. Ohashi, Carey, and the top contenders for the 2026 World Championships will compete in Saturday’s senior elite session.
Here’s how to follow all the action as it unfolds in Hartford.
How to Watch 2026 U.S. Classic
Friday, July 17
Hopes Championships: 6 p.m. – 8:30 p.m. ET on FlipNow.tv
Saturday, July 18
U.S. Classic (Jr.): 2 p.m. – 4 p.m. ET on the USA Gymnastics YouTube channel
U.S. Classic (Sr.): 7 p.m. – 9 p.m. ET on NBC Sports Network and Peacock
Sunday, July 19 (Re-air)
U.S. Classic (Sr.): 4 p.m. – 6 p.m. ET on NBC