When she completed her final landing, it was not a case of if the US were champions but by how much. “The ideal ending”, Biles said. Following in an incredibly distant second and winning the Silver medal was the Russian team, who overtook third place China who ended up with Bronze. By the end of the individual event finals next week she could have become the first woman to win five of them in one Games.
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As the Americans stuck one error-free routine after another and rotated from event to event, the mistakes piled up for their rivals: Shang Chunsong missed a catch on the uneven bars and Mao Yi fell on the floor exercise for China, Great Britain’s Ellie Downie fell from the beam on an Arabian.
Team USA (Aly Raisman, Madison Kocian, Laurie Hernandez, Simone Biles, Gabby Douglas from left to right) celebrate Team Gold on the podium in Rio de Janiero.
Asked about Biles in particular, Shang could only marvel: “I think she’s awesome, and she’s like a legend”.
In the world of elite women’s gymnastics, where careers often last as long as the Olympic flame, American Gabby Douglas serves as reminder that fame can indeed be fleeting.
“We appreciate all the support”, the proud mom said. The U.S. women’s gymnastics team, anchored by all around world champion Simone Biles, won the team gold medal at the Olympics on Tuesday by the widest margin ever. Madison Kocian’s 15.866 was the highest on bars for the evening.
Watch the team final once again and get back to me.
The Americans’ victory, along with the new moniker, was the flawless departing gift for retiring US head coach Martha Karolyi, who burst into tears as she watched her adopted country win back-to-back team golds for the first time.
On Tuesday, BBC pointed out that the US team got a score of 184.897 where Russian Federation was behind for the silver medal at 176.688. Next was Raisman, the team’s eldest member and captain, who stuck a ideal Amanar. When the marks were tallied after three rotations, the lead had ballooned to almost five points. With Hernandez, their youngest member, leading off with a Yurchenko double full, all three US vaulters earned execution marks of 9.300 or higher.
Claudia Fragapane: “I am happy to have gone out there and enjoyed the competition”. Yet it was as much a lean-forward moment as these Olympics have seen. The Final Five gave her the ultimate parting gift.
But Rio is not done with them yet.
Team USA minutes after finding out they would win Team Finals gold.
Among other ways she expresses her Jewish heritage, Raisman won gold in the floor exercise in London performed to the Hebrew folk song “Hava Nagila” and later paid homage to the 11 Israeli Olympians who were murdered by Palestinian terrorists at the 1972 Munich Games.
“She’s pushed us harder than anyone else, harder than our coaches”, said Biles. “But anything can happen”.
“We set the standard and we’re not going down. This is why we’re here”.
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Now the gymnastics isn’t over for us yet.
