China’s lengthy run at the top officially ended last October when it slipped all the way to third behind Japan and rising Great Britain, signaling an end to the Chinese’s once easy dominance.
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Chris Brooks spent the overwhelming majority of his career pushed just off to the side, whether by injury or just enough mistakes in crucial moments to convince the USA national team selection committee to look elsewhere for help.
Alexander Naddour’s stumble on floor earned him a 13.566, the USA’s lowest score of the day, though its total there was was slightly better than than the 43.699 on pommel horse, a familiar villain for the United States men, who were undone by the horse four years ago in London, where they also finished fifth. The Brazilian team finished sixth overall in the team competition, which means the country qualified for its first team final ever in men’s gymnastics.
Saturday’s competition served as qualifying for both the team and individual final competitions.
Japan was dominant throughout, and clearly took the win with a final score of 274.094.
On Monday night, the horse was a problem again, but so was the floor.
The 27-year-old began the Brits’ rise in global competition when he earned bronze on pommel horse in Beijing, the first Englishman to win an Olympic medal in gymnastics in a century.
Then they end on parallel bars and horizontal bar, where they’re capable of awe-inspiring routines.
Kohei Uchimura has said repeatedly that he cares more about winning team gold than winning another all-around title in Rio.
From last year to this year we’ve undertaken ample preparations to reach the goal of becoming champions this year. Nearly anything that we do, we’re gonna come out with a medal, and that’s actually how I viewed it.
But in the Olympic team final, the young group’s errors started piling up. Mikulak put his hand down on the final tumbling pass of his floor exercise. “I look up to him (Uchimura), he’s my idol”. Orozco sat down the vault of his landing.
With Prince Harry and Prince William watching from the stands, the US team finished fifth, six points behind the Chinese champions.
The United States Men’s Gymnastics team celebrating their selection after the Olympic Trials.
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“We didn’t get on the podium, so, that’s been four years of motivation”, Dalton said. On Monday, as he stood side-by-side with teary-eyed 2012 London Games survivors Yamamuro, Ryohei Kato, Yusuke Tanaka and new kid on the block Kenzo Shirai, there was no mistaking where they stood on the Olympic totem-pole as they held aloft their index fingers to confirm their standing in men’s gymnastics.
