Golden Girls Once Again

The U.S. Women’s Artistic Gymnastics Team is on top of the world once again after hitting 12-for-12 routines in the team final on Tuesday afternoon. The U.S. demolished the competition and won by over eight points. The U.S. women did not lose a single major international meet the entire four years between their victory in the 2012 Olympics. “Dominant” is somehow an understatement as to just how truly incredible Team USA has been during the last four years.

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Russia took the silver medal and China won the bronze. Both teams had falls throughout the competition.

Led by Simone Biles, who competed on all four apparatuses, the U.S. posted the highest total scores on the each apparatus–even beating the normally-dominant Russians on their best event, the uneven bars. Aly Raisman and Laurie Hernandez each competed on the vault, balance beam, and floor, and Madison Kocian and Gabby Douglas performed two nearly flawless routines on the uneven bars.

This year’s team has dubbed themselves the “Final Five” as this is the last Olympics where five-person teams will compete. In the 2020 games in Tokyo, teams will be reduced to just four members. This is also the final team to be coordinated by Martha Karolyi before her upcoming retirement. Karolyi has been credited as the force behind the resurgence of the once-floundering U.S. program and has led the program since 2001.

Despite the gold medals tonight, the work isn’t over for Team USA and there’s plenty of hardware to be won. Biles and Raisman return to the gym on Thursday for the all-around finals, where they’re currently ranked first and second. Biles will also compete in the floor, vault, and balance beam event finals later this week–meaning she could very well walk away from Rio with five gold medals. Hernandez will compete in the balance beam final, Raisman will also compete in the floor exercise final, and Kocian and Douglas will each be in the uneven bars final.

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Congratulations to the Final Five!

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Beege Welborn 5:00 PM | December 24, 2024
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