The ‘$’ sign is visible as Simone Biles competes on the balance beam during the women’s U.S. Olympic gymnastics trials in San Jose, Calif., Friday, July 8, 2016. And here is where we will offer a spoiler alert. We won’t know who will be competing in that until closer to the competition.
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RUSSELL LEWIS, BYLINE: Hey there. This made Tuesdays womens gymnastics team finals especially enjoyable.
LEWIS: Well, is it any surprise if I tell you that they won gold, and they won gold convincingly.
The Magnificent Seven clinched the first Olympic team gold for US women at Atlanta 1996, when Kerri Strug stuck her vault landing on a sprained ankle.
SHAPIRO: Oh, that used to be a country.
Then came Atlanta 1996, when the USA women’s team seized its first Olympic team medal. Aly Raisman would leadoff for Team USA and score a 15. When you do that, Ari, you’re going to win. They’re the final team to compete under the guidance of legend Marta Karolyi.
Japan failed to follow their men’s team onto the podium finishing fourth ahead of Great Britain, Germany, the Netherlands and Brazil. The U.S. would have to average only slightly higher than a 12 to guarantee a gold medal. But let’s do some math here.
The U.S. posted a score of 184.897, more than eight points clear of silver medalist Russian Federation and almost nine more than bronze medalist China while winning its second straight Olympic title and third overall, a margin greater than the one that propelled the “Fierce Five” to victory in London four years ago. Australia’s Emma McKeon took the bronze.
Eight points behind – Ari, this is a sport that is routinely measured in tenths of a point, in hundredths of a point. In a sport where titles are often won by fractions of a point, this wasn’t a competition, but a coronation. Generation by generation, the USA has improved and surpassed the traditional powers. Karolyi called it “the best tumbling pass I’ve ever seen in women’s gymnastics”. Did she fulfill expectations?
Added Biles, 19, the joyful Texan who soars above all other gymnasts: “She actually started crying!”
“Maybe I’ll pop in the gym”, she said. The Americans were the two-time reigning world champions.
Who would have thought that the one crying would be a crusty Romanian-born coach, self-described as “very tough”, and not any of her five winsome U.S. Olympic gymnasts?
“We are not in theater”, the Transylvania native said in her broken English, always managing to convey her thoughts more clearly than someone with flawless diction.
Martha Karolyi led the US at her final Olympic Games tonight.
The Americans stand to collect more medals this week. She can be seen in the all-around Thursday, vault Sunday, balance beam Monday and floor exercise next Tuesday.
So far these Games, Ledecky is 2-for-2 in individual events. “It’s fantastic to be out there and to experience this with these wonderful girls”, said Douglas, who competed on just one apparatus – the uneven bars.
Then there’s Madison Kocian and Laurie Hernandez, who is of Puerto Rican descent but also known as a “human emoji”. And on the floor exercise with Simon Biles – Aly Raisman.
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Many gymnasts make certain markings on the beam to remind them where they need to be to begin their to routine.
