After the postponement of the 2020 Summer Olympics due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Ou increased expectations for her senior debut by showing upgrades on all four events at an internal test in early September. She notably attempted a balance beam routine with a start value of 7.5, which was more than a point higher than the 6.4 start value of Simone Biles' winning routine at the 2019 World Championships. She also showed a new double-twisting Yurchenko vault and stuck a new Silivas (double-twisting double tuck) on floor to win the internal test ahead of reigning World all-around silver medalist Tang Xijing. However, a knee injury forced Ou to withdraw from the Chinese National Championships a few weeks later.