Leyva stayed on his knees on the ground for several seconds, his chin tucked to his chest, disappointed he couldn’t come through when it mattered.
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Alexander Naddour is known for his performances on the pommel horse, an apparatus where the USA men are usually weak. “But we know this is the Olympic Games and this makes us stressed out”.
Having been the standout team in preliminaries in both London four years ago and on Saturday in Rio (when they were second), Team USA faltered for a second consecutive Olympic Games, finishing in fifth place in the team event – the same result as London.
Do you think the USA women’s gymnastics team has the team all-around final gold locked?
In fact the US men’s gymnastics team is counting on thirsty fans to help generate attention in a sport that traditionally favors female athletes.
Japan won the gold medal, with Russian Federation the silver and China the bronze.
On Sunday afternoon, the United States women’s gymnastics team took to the Olympics stage to compete in the women’s gymnastics qualifiers in order to secure a spot in both the team all-around finals and the various individual events including the individual all-around competition and the various individual disciplines such as the uneven bars and floor.
Japan captured the gold medal.
Japan’s win was of the come-from-behind variety.
French gymnast Samir Ait Said broke his left leg while trying to land a vault, the crack of the bone shattering upon impact with the mat echoing throughout the arena and the shocking images of Said holding it in his hands instantly going viral.
“Fifth in the world”, he said. With it, fell the thin USA hopes at redemption.
In the age of CrossFit, of course, America does appreciate fit and sculpted guys. “If he’s representing, more power to him”.
The only US gold medal in the men’s gymnastics team final came in the 1984 Los Angeles Games in a weakened field without the Soviet bloc, which boycotted the games. It helps the obscure sport of men’s gymnastics appeal to body obsessives in the broader fitness industry who look at them as inspiration. This time, the athletes – Danell Leyva, Sam Mikulak, Jacob Dalton, Alexander Naddour and Chris Brooks – are determined to perform better.
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But being ridiculously fit hasn’t won them much attention. “It’s one of the few events in this country where women do get the amount of credit they deserve”.
