The US women's gymnastics team made the team final a race for silver.
After a dominant qualifying heat on Sunday, the US women once again flattened competition en route to an easy gold medal in the team final.
The US finished with a score of 184.897 — eight points better than second-place China. As SB Nation's Rodger Sherman pointed out, the gap between the US and China was wider than the gap between China and last-place Brazil.
The team finished with a bang on the floor. Laurie Hernandez, 16, kicked things off with a wink at the judges before scoring a 14.8, the best of the day, in one of the biggest routines of her life. It was just the beginning, though: Aly Raisman then followed it up with a nearly flawless routine for a 15.3.
It didn't seem like 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. She scored an incredible 15.8.
Amazingly, the US's dominance came after a somewhat disappointing balance-beam performance. Biles stood out, as early on she twice wobbled on the 4-inch beam. She finished with a 15.3. The gymnastics world was taken aback by this show of humanity by Biles.
Perhaps Jerry Sullivan of The Buffalo News put it best: The US women's team can win gold without arguably the best gymnast in the world. With her, they're unstoppable.
This team is dynastic, and they'll get to show off even more in the individual all-around on Thursday.
No comments:
Post a Comment