The USA women’s gymnastics team debuted on the mat in the Tokyo Olympics. They had a few trip-ups, including from superstar Simone Biles. Those mistakes let the ROC (Russian Olympic Committee) team take the lead heading into the team final on Tuesday. The ROC is an end-around for Russian athletes to compete in Tokyo despite Russia being barred from the Olympics. The total team score was 171.62 (ROC) to 170.56 (USA).
An 11 Year Streak Snapped
The USA team failed to finish atop the leaderboard in either qualifying or team finals at worlds or the Olympics for the first time since the 2010 World Championships. Scoring resets in Tuesday’s team finals. Another performance like the one we saw on Sunday and the women will be staring down at one of the biggest upsets in the history of the Olympic Games. Coming into the Games, Team USA came to Tokyo so heavily favored to win their third consecutive Olympic gold. Yet, that is now in some serious jeopardy.
How Each Team USA Member Faired
This USA women’s gymnastics team, composed of Biles, Sunisa Lee, Jordan Chiles, Grace McCallum, MyKayla Skinner, and Jade Carey, had plenty of shining moments. Lee, the 18-year-old St. Paul Minnesota native, did an amazing uneven bars routine. Lee was traveling with great ease from one bar to the other. She made the most complex of movements look like a walk in the park. She scored a 15.2, which is going to be a tall task for anyone else in qualifying to overtake. That score helped give Lee a total of 57.166, third behind Biles and Brazil’s Rebeca Andrade in the all-around standings.
Speaking of Biles, Biles stepped off the mat twice on accident. Once in the floor exercise and the other in one of her vaults, which led to penalties. Based on the level of difficulty and her performance, Biles’ scores were greater than each of the rest of her teammates in those two events.
Carey, the Phoenix, Arizona native is competing as an individual. She had singularly great performances in both the floor and individual competitions. She came in barely behind Biles in both and looks to be in prime position to move on to the finals in the single event competitions. Carey and her teammate, MyKayla, will not participate in the team final since they are being labeled as individual specialists.
Biles Can Make History
Simone is set to compete in all six finals: team, individual all-around, floor exercise, beam, uneven bars, and vault. She will be the first woman to compete in all six artistic gymnastics finals at one Olympics since Shannon Miller and Lavinia Milosovici did so in 1992. Biles competed in five gymnastics finals at the Rio Olympics, missing out on uneven bars. Biles is trying to become the first woman to win back-to-back Olympic titles in more than a half-century. If there is anything I have learned, if there is history to be made, Biles will make it.
Lee and Carey
Looking at the individual competitions for Team USA, Lee will compete in the all-around final after finishing third overall. Also, she will be in the balance beam and uneven bars finals. Carey is set to compete in the floor and vault finals and finished ninth overall in the all-around standings. Expect Lee’s biggest competition in the uneven bars from the ROC’s Angelina Melnikova and Vladislava Urazova. As for the floor, she submitted a new skill that she plans to debut in Tokyo, a triple-twisting double layout., If she pulls it off, people will name it after Carey and will deliver gold.
Predictions
Tom Forster, a coordinator for the U.S. team, conceded subsequently to the competition that it was a rough start for the team. He wrote off the performance due to nerves. I agree with Forester here. The great Simone admitted that her performance got to her.
If it got to her, it got to the remaining members of this team. However, I expect them to rise to the occasion and excel on the biggest stage. Whether as a team or individually, USA women’s gymnastics will put on a show.
Follow me on Twitter: @ladarius_brown and read other amazing articles on Beyond Women’s Sports.
