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PARIS — They came seeking redemption, both as a team and as individuals.
They came to put the United States back on top of the women’s gymnastics podium, to give themselves a magical moment after the pandemic-ravaged Tokyo Olympics, with rapturous fans cheering and chanting “USA.”
They came to win.
And they won.
The U.S. women’s gymnastics team dominated the team competition, winning the gold medal with 171.296 points, 5.802 points ahead of runner-up Italy. Brazil took the bronze medal.
It was mostly a run of talent and tenacity. The U.S. jumped out to an early lead, taking 1.434 points in the first rotation. Though the final score fell short of the 9.59 points of their crushing victory in Rio 2016, the margin was never in doubt. The U.S. recorded maximum points on all four rotations.
In Tokyo, the United States dropped to silver after star athlete Simone Biles withdrew after one vault, but Russia regained Olympic champion status – it won then but was effectively banned this time because of Russia’s military actions in Ukraine and therefore could not participate.
The United States has won team gold medals at the 2012 and 2016 Olympic Games and has won every team event at the world championships since 2011.
In flawless form, Biles earned a stunning score of 14.666 on the floor exercise, making it her most emotional competition yet at a packed out Bercy Arena.
Simone Biles, Sunisa Lee, Jade Carey and Jordan Childs did it as a team of 20-somethings, a rarity in a sport that tends to favor the springy tendons of youth. They did it as a quartet from Tokyo where the isolation of the pandemic robbed them of even the greatest moments.
They did it despite endless personal doubts about whether they would even be able to get back here, let alone win.
They are four women with a wealth of life experience, including college, marriage, and experience, and they have built what they call a “sisterhood” and done it together. This time, they hosted the event with beaming smiles and waving to the audience.
The 27-year-old Biles was part of the 2016 Gold Team and also won the all-around gold medal in Rio. But in Tokyo she suffered a disastrous defeat after she lost track of where she was in the air during a twist. She was forced to withdraw from the team competition, sparking a wave of controversy and criticism.
“I never imagined I’d be competing in the Olympics after Tokyo because of the circumstances,” Biles said last month. “I never thought I’d be back in the gym twisting.” [and] Feel free to help yourself.”
Instead, she didn’t just come back, she worked her way up to getting better: She won the 2023 individual world championships, elevating the sport to an unprecedented level of difficulty.
On Tuesday, wearing a bandage on her left calf to ease strain she felt during qualifying, she was clearly the best gymnast in the world, scoring a team-best 14.900 on the vault, which she failed to complete in Tokyo, and then 14.400 on the balance beam.
The 21-year-old Li replaced Biles in Tokyo and led the U.S. to a hard-fought silver medal, then won the all-around gold two days later. But just 11 months ago, a kidney disease diagnosis had doctors thinking she’d never compete in gymnastics again.
“There were many times when I wanted to quit,” she said last month.
The Americans are lucky she didn’t have an accident, as she overcame a few small mistakes to earn a team-best score of 14.566 on the balance beam and take first place with her second rotation, then pulled Jordan Childs, who had a fall on the beam, up by a near-flawless performance for a stellar score of 14.600, 0.577 above her qualifying score.
Carey, 24, competed in the Tokyo Olympics but was not officially a member of the U.S. national team or a participant in the team event. She qualified for the Olympics by competing around the world under a now-closed system, earning enough points to qualify outside of the traditional U.S. five-a-side team. She did not get to compete in the team event or even wear the same leotard as the official members of the U.S. national team, such as Biles, Lee and Chiles.
Either way, she proved her presence and talent by winning individual gold on floor exercise, but the team event holds a special place for American gymnasts, and after a break from international competition to shine at Oregon State, Carey found herself back on track.
The 23-year-old Chiles unexpectedly competed in all four events in Tokyo after Biles withdrew. She won only one medal, a silver. After winning multiple NCAA titles at UCLA, the plan was for Chiles to compete in all events along with Biles as a sign of her maturity and experience.
On vault, Chiles (14.400) and Carey (14.800) started strong, each bettering their qualifying scores, while Biles substituted Chen for the more difficult double pike and earned herself a 14.900 score, good enough for first place after the first rotation.
On bars, Chiles maintained her lead with a score of 14.366, Biles with a score of 14.400 and Li with a score of 14.566.
On the balance beam, Chiles fell as she jumped onto the beam, but the team ignored her and her score dropped to 12.733. Li regained the advantage on the beam with an impressive 14.600. Biles finished her rotation with 14.366.
Finally, the floor exercise came up with Li scoring 13.533, Chiles 13.966 and Biles 14.666 to close out the golden night.
Up to five athletes from each of the eight qualifying countries compete in the team event. Three athletes are selected per event, and all scores are tallied, leaving little room for error. The final U.S. athlete, 16-year-old Hezly Rivera, did not compete in the team event, but still won the gold medal.
Women’s gymnastics continues on Thursday (12:15 p.m. ET) with the all-around competition, in which Biles (who qualified first) and Li (who finished third) will both compete, marking the first time in history that two former all-around champions will compete at the Olympics.
