Biles is considered the top gymnast in the world and when the women’s team final takes place on Tuesday, she’ll be one to watch as the USA tries to earn the gold as is expected of them. “This time we all know that’s not what we’re going to do”.
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He won the all-around gymnastics gold at London 2012, and is a ten-times world championship gold medallist.
For all Uchimura’s past success, the men’s Olympic team gold was the one major medal missing from his vast collection, which includes the 2012 all around title, a record six successive world all around golds and the 2015 world team crown.
“I didn’t fall on any apparatus and went through everything perfectly”, said the 22-year-old former world champion on parallel bars. The victory fills in on the one hole on Uchimura’s resume.
Russia, Japan, Britain, Brazil, Ukraine and Germany all advanced to the eight-team final, though the sometimes giddy atmosphere – punctuated by host Brazil’s euphoric breakthrough in front of a raucous home crowd during the opening session – was tempered by sobering reminders of the sport’s ever present danger.
The U.S. was led by the two all-arounders, Mikulak and Brooks, who both also qualified for the all-around final on Wednesday despite the falls on pommel horse.
But they had to battle a determinated Russian Federation, who they competed alongside and had led for the first four rotations, with Denis Abliazin outscoring Olympic champion Arthur Zanetti of Brazil on the rings. Japanese Olympic gymnast Kohei Uchimura definitely confirms that notion.
“I’ve dreamed of competing at the Olympics since I was a little kid, especially when I watched the teams that lost in Beijing and London”, said the Nippon Sports Science University student. Barretto Junior finished in the top-24 of the all-around, but a rule that only allows two gymnasts per country to advance to finals disqualifies him from advancing.
This time, though, there was no denying Uchimura.
China, who topped qualifying, had obviously saved their mistakes for the final.
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 US national team selection committee to look elsewhere for help.
They had eight consecutive routines with scores greater than 15 on vault, parallel bars and high bar before Leyva fell off high bar on the final event of the night. “If Russia or China were to win in Glasgow, the sense would be that they’ll probably win in the Olympics”. Japanese tandem of Uchimura and Ryohei Kato finished second and sixth respectfully, while the Ukrainian Oleg Verniaiev took first by a significant margin.
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“This was important for Brazil, it was about the team”, Hypolito said. “To perform like this, it’s a dream”.
