by Steve Keating
TOKYO (Reuters) – Simone Biles’ quest for six gold medals at the Tokyo Olympics ended abruptly on Tuesday when she withdrew from the women’s team final after a single jump and saw the United States lose the tournament to athletes from Russia.
It was a shocking and disappointing start to the Olympics for the US women’s gymnastics team, who had been hoping to dominate the final because they hadn’t lost a major collegiate competition since 2011.
But the entire event was turned upside down in an instant when World Champion and Olympic all-around champion Biles mistimed her opening jump and took the low score of 13,766.
It was a setback from which the United States did not recover, and the Russians, who competed as representatives of the Russian Olympic Committee because the country was banned from using its flag and national anthem for doping violations, won the team title for the first time since the victory. From the Commonwealth of Independence team at the 1992 Barcelona Games. The United States, winner in 2012 and 2016, took the silver, and the United Kingdom took the bronze.
Despite only jumping once, Biles would add a silver to the five he won at the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Games, including four golds.
But the American’s bid to become the greatest Olympic athlete of all time with 10 gold medals is over, and perhaps all of her participation in the Tokyo Games has ended.
The USA Gymnastics Association said the 24-year-old’s continuation in the games is uncertain.
“Simon withdrew from the team final due to a medical problem,” Team USA said. It will be evaluated on a daily basis to determine medical approval for future competitions.
(by Steve Keating)
Copyright © Thomson Reuters.
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