Greatness, grit, and guts:
These are the best words to describe the performance of the United States women's gymnastics team during the qualification round at the 2024 Paris Olympic Games.
Led by two Olympic all-around champions—a historic first—the United States surged to the standings after subdivision two, holding nearly a six-point lead over Italy despite several moments of doubt and uncertainty.
Simone Biles, the seven-time Olympic medalist who won the all-around gold in Rio, began her return to the Games with a stellar routine on the beam (14.733). However, while warming up on the floor exercise ahead of rotation two, Biles appeared to injure her lower leg. After being evaluated by medical staff, she resumed competition, favouring her left leg.
Biles finished the competition at the top of the all-around leaderboard (59.566), earning the highest score by any gymnast in an international competition this Olympic cycle. She also secured the No. 1 spot on vault (15.300) and floor (14.600), while placing second on beam (14.733) and eighth on uneven bars (14.433).
After the competition, Biles' coach Cecile Landi stated that Biles "felt a little something in her calf," but withdrawing from the competition was never considered. As the meet progressed, Landi said Biles began to feel better. There are no concerns about her ability to compete throughout the remainder of the Games.
Despite Biles' struggles, her teammates rallied behind her:
Defending Olympic all-around champion Suni Lee, who had a nervy start on the beam with several balance checks, delivered a stellar routine on uneven bars, securing her spot in the all-around final with a chance to defend her title. Lee is second behind Biles with a score of 56.132, just 0.067 ahead of Jordan Chiles. Lee is currently third on uneven bars (14.866) and beam (14.033), while Chiles is second behind Biles on the floor (13.866).
Tokyo Olympic floor champion Jade Carey will not defend her title after scoring only 10.633. Carey made several uncharacteristic mistakes and appeared to get lost in the air on her double tuck, resulting in a single tuck and rolling out of bounds. She rebounded on vault with an average of 14.433, placing her second behind Biles' 15.300.
Hezly Rivera, the youngest member of the U.S. delegation at 16, contributed scores of 13.900 on uneven bars and 12.633 on beam.
In the first rotation, French-born Kaylia Nemour, representing Algeria, performed one of the most difficult routines in the world on the uneven bars (7.1 D-score). Nemour, a silver medalist at the 2023 World Championships, is a strong contender for individual gold, leading the uneven bars (15.600) and sitting third in the all-around (55.966).
Nemour's biggest challenger on uneven bars is China's Qiu Qiyuan, who sits second with a score of 15.066.
The field for the team, all-around, and individual event finals will be finalized after the end of the fifth subdivision.
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