After not crying at the team competition, Biles and Raisman ruined their makeup Thursday with tears of joy. “It’s a moment you only dream of in your wildest dreams”.
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“I think if you ask any of the all-arounders who’ve won this, they will say it’s been everything they’ve dreamed of since they were a little girl”, Biles said.
For Raisman silver was like gold behind a teammate who is in another league. She was only 15, too young to compete, in the London Olympics, but quickly began dominating world championships once she became competitive age.
She already owns three world championships, and now has two Olympic golds. Billed as the heavy favorite heading into the women’s all-around gymnastics competition, she lived up to the hype. Besides, Raisman would be 22 in Rio. Didn’t she know that’s ancient in the sport of gymnastics? “And after prelims and semifinals and seeing where I was sitting, when I came in tonight I was like, ‘I want to get on that medal stand.’ Just surpassing that goal and getting an American record on top of a gold medal is super exciting for me”. Every single day you have to become better and better and Simone responded very well to this advice and I am so proud because of this. “I’m happy I proved everyone wrong”.
In the lead-up to 2012, as in 2016, few expected Raisman to qualify for the all-around.
Halfway through the women’s all-around final, Simone Biles was in an unfamiliar, unthinkable place: Second place, that is.
“People were like, she’s never going to make to the Olympics because of the curse, and you’re not going to pace her, and there’s no way you can maintain this level of excellence”, Boorman said. But forgotten in the celebration of Douglas’ success is Raisman’s heartbreak. The bronze went to Russian Aliya Mustafina.
That awe has spilled over to social media, with the Texas-raised teenager tweeting on Wednesday that she had surpassed one million followers on photo-sharing app Instagram and thanking her fans with an “I LOVE YALL”.
“It was heartbreaking and devastating”. Her poor performances have put her at risk of missing out on a medal in the Laser Radial class. I knew if I did what I had done in training, I would be good.
“Her bounciness was really out of control”, Karolyi said. She was shaky at United States trials in July and there was concern she wouldn’t pull through in Rio although she has so far performed strongly.
Though Mustafina took a small lead through two rotations, it was a mirage.
“When I first came back, all the media and everyone looked at me like I was insane that I was really going to come back”, said Raisman. “That’s the best way to do beam”.
Three more golds, and her name will start coming up whenever Olympic greats are debated. I had to focus.
Brazil has won three medals so far – one of each color.
What gets Simone Biles started? To me, I’m just the same Simone. “We’re lucky we have each other. Take a long break, because you need it mentally”. That her teammates call her “Grandma” is less an indictment than recognition of her rarity. “She’s worked so incredibly hard during her comeback”. “You have one shot and you want it to go well”. I kept reminding myself to do the routines I had practiced, which I did.
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“That’s a normal score for me”, Biles said. “It is to admire”.
