Competing in this subdivision:
Mix Group 4: Iceland (Irina Sazonova), New Zealand (Courtney McGregor), Egypt (Sherine El Zeiny);
The Netherlands: Sanne Wevers, Lieke Wevers, Vera van Pol, Geline van Gerner, Eythota Thorsdottir
Mix Group 2: Venezuela (Jessica Lopez), Slovenia (Teja Belak), Peru (Ariana Orrego), Trinidad Tobago (Marisa Dick), Greece (Vasiliki Millousi);
USA: Simone Biles, Madison Kocian, Gabrielle Douglas, Laurie Hernandez, Alexandra Raisman
Rotation 1:
Vault: Courtney McGregor averaged a 14.333 with 5.8 and 5.2 start values.
Uneven bars: Eythora Thorsdottir posted the team high, capping off her routine with a stuck full-twisting double back dismount (14.733/5.9), Sanne Wevers and Lieke Wevers hit clean sets (the latter posted a 14.6/6.0 with a piked Tkatchev to pak and Maloney to bail to toe-full.) And Celine Van Gerner earned a 14.533/5.6.
Balance beam: Jessica Lopez hit her round-off to layout and 2.5 twist dismount (13.933/5.7) , Ariana Orrego completed a nice routine but a low difficulty value left her with a 12.733/5.1,Vasiliki Millousi sadly fell on an aerial, earning a 13.200/6.0, and Marisa Dick earned a 13.066.
Floor: Gabrielle Douglas opened with a solid routine to begin USA’s practically flawless performance (Double Arabian to stag; full-in to back tuck; double pike little hop, double tuck tiny shuffle; 14.366) Laurie Hernandez gave another great performance opening with a DLO, double Arabian to stag jump, front layout to 2 twist to punch front, and a double tuck to land. Sold the routine for a 14.8/6.0. Simone Biles made her Olympic debut opening with a full twisting DLO, followed by a Biles, then a double twisting double back, and dismounted with a full-in (15.733/6.8), and Alexandra Raisman lowered our collective blood pressure with an equally hit routine, opening with her signature 1.5 twist to double Arabian to layout where she just stayed in bounds, followed by a piked double Arabian to questionable stag, a just-about stuck DLO, and a stuck double pike. a 15. 275/6.6 nabbed her spot in the Event Final and conclude what felt like a walk in the park for USA’s opening rotation.
Rotation 2:
Vault: Lauren Hernandez Gabrielle Douglas performed solid DTY’s, while Alexandra Raisman and Simone Biles performed massive Amanar’s (Raisman’s was nearly stuck) and Biles executed a very good Cheng for a 16.1.
Uneven bars: Courtney McGregor (12.433/5.2), Sherine El Zeiny (14.133/5.8), Irina Sazonova (13.500/5.8)
Balance beam: Eythora Thorsdottir gave a beautiful, measured performance with an aerial to swing down, sheep jump and illusion turn, a triple twist dismount (14.300/5.9), Lieke Wevers counted some balance checks but posted a 14.366 with free cartwheel to free cartwheel, a double turn, a switch leap to sheep jump, and a gainer layout dismount, Celine Van Gerner earned a 13.8 with a solid round off to layout but she went overtime, and Sanne Wevers (drumroll, please!) HIT her connection-mania routine with back-to-back free cartwheel’s to front aerial to wolf, a triple turn, and a stuck gainer full. A 15.066/6.3 put her comfortably in the Event Final.
Floor exercise: Ariana Orrego (13.166/5.1), Marisa Dick (12.533/4.9), Jessica Lopez (12.733/4.8) after a stuck full-in, whip to tripel twist, double pike, and double twist.
Rotation 3:
Vault: Teja Belak averaged a 13.650 with 5.8 and 5.3 start values, and Jessica Lopez performed a solid DTY.
Uneven bars: Alexandra Raisman gave the bars performance of her life that while overscored, was still something to be proud of (14.733/6.0) , Simone Biles followed it with an equally solid performance though she lost form for a moment on her pirouette with some leg separation, Gabrielle Douglas nailed her routine (inbar full to big piked Tkatchev, unbar half to endo to Chow half and a stuck DLO dismount for a massive 15.766/6.5), and Madison Kocian topped even that and moved into first place bars qualification with a 15.866/6.7 (great unbar full to Komova to Pak to Chow half; stuck her full-twistind double back dismount).
Balance beam: Sherine El Zeiny (12.800/5.0), Irina Sazonova (12.900/5.2), Courtney McGregor (13.000/5.6).
Floor exercise: Lieke Wevers, back to last year’s floor routine, emphasized turns (Mustafina, double in arabesque, missed quad) and performed a double tuck and 2.5 twist for a 13.85/5.; Celine van Gerner earned a 13.716/5.1, Eythora Thorsdottir earned a 13.633 after a beautiful performance and devastating fall on her last pass–a 2.5 twist, and Vera Von Pol earned a 13.500/5.3.
Rotation 4:
Vault: The Netherlands ended an almost dream-like qualification with two FTY’s, a Yurenchenko 1.5, and a DTY.
Uneven bars: Marisa Dick (11.333), Ariana Orrego (11.833/5.2), and Jessica Lopez earned a 15.333/6.4 with a laid-out jaeger to pak, Maloney, Tkatchev to Geinger, and double front dismount, going into seventh place in uneven bars qualifications. She was thrilled, tears and all.
Balance beam: Gabrielle Douglas did herself every favor here, performing a solid BHS to LOSO and standing full, executing her routine calmly and cleanly. A low double pike dismount was the only major error, but she still earned a 14.833/6.3; Alexandra Raisman began well with a stuck layout but almost touched the beam while wobbling after her side aerial. A hit double Arabian dismount helped to buffer it; she posted a 14.833/6.3, securing her place in the All Around Final. Lauren Hernandez secured her place in the Beam Final (and USA’s bragging rights–with all five members having made one) with a solid-as-ever routine beginning with a front pike, BHS to LOSO to LOSO, sheep jump, front tuck to wolf jump, and side aerial for a 15.366/6.4) And Simone Biles closed out an amazing qualification with a typically masterful routine, earning a 15.633/6.7 with a hit Barani, BHS to layout, and full-in dismount. That’s a wrap for Team USA.
Floor: Irina Sazonova (13.000/5.2), Courtney McGregor (13.066/5.3), Sherine El Zeiny (12.533/4.8)
Currently Qualifying to Finals After Subdivision 4:
Team:
USA, China, Russia, Great Britian, Brazil, Germany, Netherlands, Italy
All Around: Biles, Raisman, Andrade, Tutkhalyan, Mustafina, Wang, Thorsdottir, Seitz, Lopez…
VT: Biles, Hong, Steingruber, Paseka, Chusovitna, Wang, Karmakar, Tutkhalyan
UB: Kocian, Mustafina, Douglas, Spiridonova, Seitz, Scheder, Lopez, Chunsong
BB: Biles, Hernandez, Saraiva, Wevers, Ponor, Yilin, Downie (E)
FX: Biles, Raisman, Ferrari, Steingruber, Wang, Tinkler, Fasana
Article: Sara Dorrien-Christians
Photo Cover: Nadia Boyce