American gymnastics star Simone Biles is inside Bercy Arena for the women’s team final. Biles is competing after tweaking her left calf during qualifying on Sunday. The five-woman U.S. squad of Biles, Sunisa Lee, Jordan Chiles, Jade Carey and Hezly Rivera are heavily favored to return to the top of the medal stand in Paris after finishing second to Russia at the Tokyo Games three years ago. The Americans will be paired with Italy, a surprise runner-up in qualifying.
Quick Read
- Simone Biles and Team USA take aim at gold in the women’s gymnastics team final
- The U.S. squad includes Simone Biles, Sunisa Lee, Jordan Chiles, Jade Carey, and Hezly Rivera
- Team USA is favored to win, aiming to reclaim the top spot after finishing second to Russia at the Tokyo Games
- Biles will compete on all four events, overcoming her left calf injury from qualifying
- Chiles will also perform on all four apparatuses
- Lee will compete on uneven bars, balance beam, and floor exercise, with Carey joining Biles and Chiles on vault
- The U.S. team competes first on vault, followed by uneven bars, balance beam, and floor exercise
- Italy, the surprise runner-up in qualifying, will compete alongside the U.S.
- Italy, China, and Brazil are over five points behind the U.S. in qualifying scores, a significant margin in gymnastics
- Brazilian star Rebeca Andrade is considered Biles’ top competition in the all-around
The Associated Press has the story:
Simone Biles & Team USA take aim at gold in the women’s gymnastics team final
Newslooks- PARIS (AP) —
American gymnastics star Simone Biles is inside Bercy Arena for the women’s team final. Biles is competing after tweaking her left calf during qualifying on Sunday. The five-woman U.S. squad of Biles, Sunisa Lee, Jordan Chiles, Jade Carey and Hezly Rivera are heavily favored to return to the top of the medal stand in Paris after finishing second to Russia at the Tokyo Games three years ago. The Americans will be paired with Italy, a surprise runner-up in qualifying.
Biles is scheduled to compete on all four events despite the injury in her return to the team final. She was in the lineup for every event in Tokyo before removing herself from the competition to focus on her mental health after a wonky vault in the first rotation left her concerned she couldn’t protect herself in the air. Chiles will also do all four alongside her friend and longtime teammate at World Champions Centre, the gym in the northern Houston suburbs owned by the Biles family. Lee will compete on uneven bars, balance beam and floor exercise with Jade Carey, joining Biles and Chiles on the vault.
Italy, China and Brazil were tightly grouped in a pack over five points behind the Americans in qualifying, a massive margin in a sport usually decided by fractions. Brazilian star Rebeca Andrade is perhaps Biles’ biggest competition in the all-around. The U.S. and Italy will do vault first, followed by uneven bars, balance beam and floor exercise.
