This is the third time the USA has taken the top team title, with the “Final Five” adding to triumphs in 1996 and 2012.
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“From my nature, I’m really not a sentimental person, honestly”, she told NBC.
Other swimming highlights include American Katie Ledecky winning a second gold medal in Rio in the 200-meter freestyle and Hungary’s Katinka Hosszu nabbing her third in the 200-meter individual medley.
Biles, a 19-year-old sensation, won Olympic gold alongside fellow Olympic newcomers Madison Kocian and Laurie Hernandez, while Aly Raisman and Gabby Douglas rounded out a dominant performance for the Final Five.
U.S. Olympic gymnast and gold medalist Simone Biles says when she travels, she sometimes takes with her a statue of St. Sebastian, the patron saint of athletes, and she also carries a rosary her mother gave her.
She is was also a member of the gold medal-winning American teams at the 2014 and the 2015 World Artistic Gymnastics Championships. The three had the highest scores on the beam.
Karolyi’s methods have been questioned at times as unduly grinding and potentially spirit-breaking, but American women haven’t lost a major global competition in six years and have collected 89 medals and counting, and this team was clearly appreciative of her. But since we can’t even come close to approximating any of their pure gold gymnastic routines, we’ll just have to settle for their equally bold hair and makeup moves, which we’re highlighting below.
Tennis great Serena Williams lost to Ukraine’s Elina Svitolina, ending her Olympic bid this year.
The floor exercise was the icing on the cake for the United States. “I don’t even know what they’re doing”. Biles and Raisman should do the same on floor, and Biles is the vault favorite. “We’re just so excited”.
It didn’t seem as if it could be topped, but then Simone Biles, with the gold all but wrapped up – she needed just an eight – came out and put on a show. Focused and stern faced, Douglas took a deep breath, leapt onto the uneven bars and 35 seconds later nailed her landing, giving a big smile, her work done.
“It was a good overwhelming”, Biles said.
Thankfully we never saw the flip side of disappointment.
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“We always want to do our best and just shine bright, I feel like each one of us just want to have fun and not worry about the results”.
