She could win a total of five while in Rio which would add to her already exhaustive collection of World Championship medals (she’s got 10).
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The U.S. women’s gymnastics team proved that the Americans really were just as dominant as they looked during team qualifications, easily winning gold at the Rio Olympics. “So we should carry ourselves that way, not be scared and shaky because we have that pressure”.
While the gold was never in doubt, you wouldn’t have known about it by watching Karolyi. When she completed her final landing, it was not a case of if the USA were champions but by how much. Unlike the other seven, the Americans didn’t slip off uneven bars. All three Americans scored over 15 points on the vault performances, with Aly Raisman (15.833) and Simone Biles (15.933) leading the way.
Finally, floor, again with Hernandez, Raisman and Biles. From the second Laurie Hernandez drilled her opening vault to Simone Biles’ boundary-pushing floor exercise to end it, the US put on an exhibition that showed how far the divide between themselves and everyone else has become.
The team finished with a bang on the floor. They were part of the Fierce Five that won gold in London. Russian Federation claimed silver, while China picked up bronze. Hernandez posted a 15.233 on the beam as the American women sought gold. Last year, it was announced that the Olympics gymnastics teams would be reduced from five people to four, beginning with the 2020 Olympics. In Tokyo, each team will have only four members.
Though the United States of America has been dominant as of late, the Rio gold marked the first time it has won back-to-back Olympic competitions.
The name could also refer to the coming retirement of Martha Karolyi, who was the head coach of the Magnificent Seven and the national team coordinator of US women’s gymnastics since 2001. Karolyi has coached the US team since 2001 and she’s retiring at what appears to be a most untouchable peak.
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“I always tell the girls, we’re competing against ourselves”, Karolyi said.
