For the first time in these Olympic Games, Simone Biles was not at the top of the podium.
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Wevers, 24, took gold with 15.466 points ahead of American Lauren Hernandez, who won silver with 15.333. When Hernandez’s score went up above her name, it was down to French gymnast Marine Boyer and Brazilian Flavia Saraiva.
The first women’s event final was vault, one of three events Biles qualified to compete during the first day of competition.
Uchimura had been bidding for a third gold in Rio following team and all-around but complaining of a sore back he was clearly off form as he hopped off the mat during his routine. Biles put her hands on the beam to keep from falling off entirely after her right foot slipped off, which judges consider to be a fall. As did father-coach Vincent, who hugged his daughter on the sidelines when her score, a 15.466, was announced after a significant delay. Now that she can’t be the first to get five golds, she’s attempting to join Larisa Latynina, Vera Caslavska and Ecaterina Szabo as the only women to win four golds during an Olympic meet.
No, the disappointment came from one missed skill in an otherwise lovely routine.
Sanne Wevers would take gold for the Netherlands, Laurie Hernandez would win silver for the United States, and Simone Biles would finish in third with bronze despite a beam grab.
But as she nears what is very likely the end of her gymnastics career, Aly Raisman has flown under the radar despite assembling one of the best Olympic resumes of any American gymnast. Bronze medalist Giulia Steingruber had the next highest individual vault score with a 15.533.
Kocian, the 19-year-old Texan brought on the team to compete bars, did her part.
“The rest of the routine was still pretty good”, Biles said, “so I can’t be too disappointed in myself”. Though it seems counterintuitive, for many gymnasts, flips are easier than turns to nail on the beam. Her score was a 14.733. Reigning world champion Eleftherios Petrounias of Greece set the early pace with a terrific routine and scored a 16.000, the highest mark on rings of the entire Olympics.
Whitlock is the first men gymnast from Great Britain to win Olympic gold medal.
Simone Biles was content with a bronze medal in the balance beam final after stumbling and almost falling on Monday.
He finished behind Abliazin, whose two vaults averaged out at 15.516, with the gold medal going the way of Ri thanks to his commanding score of 15.691.
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Monday at Rio Olympic Arena, Hernandez’s family and supporters, including her teammates on both the men’s and women’s gymnastics teams, urged her on on.
