The “redemption tour” has now officially concluded in its first segment.
American women’s gymnastics team finally made a comeback to the top of the Olympic medal podium, placing second in the Tokyo 2020 Games (171.296). Italy won their first Olympic medal as a team in ninety-six years with the silver (165.494). In winning bronze, Brazil earned their first-ever Olympic medal as a team (164.497).
More than any other American gymnast in history, Simone Biles won eight Olympic medals in total—five of them gold. Shannon Miller was formerly held in this esteemed position.
Hezly Rivera, Biles, Suni Lee, Jordan Chiles, Jade Carey, and Biles will go down in history as the fourth American team to win an Olympic gold medal in this event.
After landing her vault, Biles said she was happy with it. She also spoke about getting the “twisties,” which made her withdraw from the team final, and about her experiences at other Tokyo competitions.
Biles said, “At least there weren’t any flashbacks or anything. Wow,” “I was relieved, and I thought, ‘Yes, we’re going to do this,'” when I landed in the vault.
The current Olympic floor champion, Carey, announced she wasn’t feeling well and would not be competing in the event during the team final after suffering a terrible fall in the qualifying round.
“Being a part of this team and being able to contribute today is an honour for me, this means everything,” Carey said. Though things haven’t gone exactly as planned this week, I’m thankful that I was able to compete today, finish the task at hand, and provide the precise support that this team needed.
In all sports, Rivera is the youngest player in the delegation, but the U.S. chose to rely on its veterans and did not select him in any lineup. Biles and Chiles competed in four events, whereas Lee, the current Olympic all-around champion, only participated on the uneven bars, balance beam, and floor exercise.
As Rivera put it, “It’s been an amazing experience.” The fact that I see how diligently each person works at the gym—both mentally and physically—makes even training with them amazing. Collectively, we have experienced a great deal, and now, on this crucial day, we have united. Being on the floor, cheering them on, made me happy. Today, I had a great time supporting this team, and I’m quite pleased of them.
Great Britain produced a stunning turnaround to qualify for the final after finishing seventh in the qualification round. Some of the country’s top athletes had injuries before to the Games, which hurt the team’s prospects of earning a medal even though they took home a bronze in Tokyo. Fourth place went to the group.