The Final Five name the gymnasts kept secret until they made the podium is fitting. And they are gold.
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Biles also had to whirl her arms around to stay on the balance beam after a sequence of three backflips left her wobbling on the four-inch wide apparatus. “I need a dictionary”.
Simone Biles leads a talented American women’s gymnastics squad into team competition at Rio’s Summer Olympics Tuesday afternoon, hoping to convert a strong preliminary round into a gold medal.
The Americans delivered two emphatic answers Tuesday night at the Rio Games, defeating Russian Federation by 8.209 points for the largest margin of victory since 1960 and crowning themselves the Final Five, in honor of retiring coach Martha Karolyi.
Loud chants of “U.S.A” could be heard in Rio Olympic Arena as the gymnasts completed their final rotation, securing the gold.
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This was also the final team competition for Martha Karolyi, the national team coordinator. Led off by Hernandez, their youngest member, all three earned execution marks of 9.300 or higher. While Mustafina put on a near flawless display on uneven bars while throwing up 15.833, she also plopped off the balance beam. Then Hernandez shimmied through the floor exercises to rhythmic stomps and constant roars.
“It was overwhelming, ” she said.
Gabby Douglas, meanwhile, will compete only on uneven bars. Douglas, who is based in Los Angeles, struggled in the first night of the U.S. Olympic Team Trials, but her grit on the second day shows the “Fierce” part of the Fierce Five.
So while the gold medal they won on Tuesday at Rio Olympic Arena was not surprising, it was historic. Karolyi wants there to be no doubt.
The result was history for the Americans, who claimed their third team medal.
Said Kocian: “I didn’t cry because I was too overwhelmed”.
Biles, incredibly a 10-time world champion at the age of just 19, is already being hailed as the star of the Games for her remarkable performances. Considering the way the two teams most likely to challenge the USA performed during early qualifying, it’s hard to blame her.
It also meant the USA retained the title it won in London four years ago. Joining them will be 2008 Olympic silver medalist Samantha Peszek, reporting from Rio.
They aren’t just representing America.
Biles was raised in a suburb of Houston by her maternal grandfather, Ron, and his second wife, Nellie.
“And they’re all genuine, good people, care about each other, care about their families, they don’t wander around with blinders on and with attitude, ” said Aimee Borman, Biles’ coach. It’s chasing perfection, and Karolyi knows that will keep her pupils chasing, for the rest of their lives, in whatever they pursue. Raisman and Biles did the exceedingly hard Amanar and were rewarded for terrific delivery.
There has even been a Twitter exchange between Biles and – heaven help us – Kim Kardashian. “North is watching @Simone_Biles in awe!” She started crying. And not just a little.
They missed a medal by just over one-and-a-half points, finishing with a score of 174.362.
Experts are in awe of Biles and her potential.
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She was asked to describe the dream. Biles has won 14 world medals (10 gold, two silver, two bronze), the most for a USA female gymnast. The United States finished with a total of 184.897.
