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Gymnastics: Russia’s Mustafina wins asymmetric bars title

Mustafina defended her Olympic title in uneven bars on Sunday, edging American Maddie Kocian in a tight final.

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Germany’s Sophie Scheder burst into tears after claiming a surprise bronze.

After Mustafina’s success, Russian Federation has eight golds, 11 silver and nine bronze medals, sitting fourth in the overall medals table.

Madison Kocian turned in a strong performance on the uneven bars final.

Of that four-person sorority, only Kocian and Russia’s Daria Spiridonova qualified for the bars final in Rio.

Gabby Douglas, three-time Olympic gold medalist, finished 7th after she struggled to stay on the high bar during a handstand.

She scored 15.900 on her first vault and a 16.033 on her second vault, which averaged to an overall score of 15.966.

Unfortunately for Spiridonova, she went off the bar early in her routine and did not stand a chance of earning a medal. The rules in the Olympics only allow two people from each nation to advance to the individual all-around competition, and Douglas finished third for the USA, despite being better than every other person on every other team.

While the gold and silver medals in the men’s RS:X sailing competition were decided before Sunday’s medal race, there was far more suspense in the women’s RS:X with the top six racers separated by six points.

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Mustafina was the defending champion in the event.

United States&#039 Madison Kocian performs on the uneven bars during the artistic gymnastics women's apparatus final at the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro Brazil Sunday Aug. 14 2016