US Women finish second in Gymnastics qualifications at Tokyo 2020

Simone Biles of Team USA Gymnastics steps out of bounds during her floor exercise routine at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics. 

For the first time in 11 years, the US Women’s Gymnastics team did not look as golden as they used to at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. The Russian Olympic Committee managed to finish in first place ahead of the Americans during qualifications at the Ariake Gymnastics Center.  Mistakes from all but one of the athletes put them in second place behind the Russian Olympic Committee, which led by more than a point. It was the first time that the United States women finished second behind any other country since the world championships of 2010. 

Simone Biles managed to still top the all-around list with a 57.731, with her vault routine paying off huge despite her first attempt landing out of bounds. However, during her floor exercise, her feet nearly slipped out from under. Teammate Grace McCallum bounced out of bounds of her first tumbling pass on the same apparatus. 

Suni Lee didn’t put a clean routine on it either and had a low angled vault that scored her a 14.333. UCLA alum Jordan Chiles, who hadn’t made any mistakes in the last four meets, allowed her feet to drag during her moment on the uneven bars and fell off the balance beam. Jade Carey managed to stay clear from any problems, but not being a full team member didn’t give her a chance to make the all-around. 

The 🇺🇸 will be well-represented at Event Finals! ✨

Simone Biles: Vault (8/1), Uneven Bars (8/1), Floor (8/2) & Balance Beam (8/3)
Sunisa Lee: Uneven Bars (8/1) & Balance Beam (8/3)
Jade Carey: Vault (8/1) & Floor (8/2)

Can’t wait to cheer on @TeamUSA! 🙌 pic.twitter.com/CdgmKwyLm8

— USA Gymnastics (@USAGym) July 25, 2021

Only two athletes from each country may qualify for the All-Around that is scheduled for July 29^th. Biles and Lee (who finished third) would represent Team USA. Brazil’s Rebeca Andrade finished between them as she scored a 15.400, besting Biles by nearly half a point on the apparatus.

With the ROC making a statement on day one of the competition, the United States would need to pull out all the stops and prevent further mistakes as they defend their team gold from the past two Olympics.