The 2023 World Artistic Gymnastics Championships have been nothing short of a nail-biting spectacle for America in the past few days. It all began with the Team Final, where the USA outclassed their competition, clinching victory with a total score of 167.729. Brazil secured the second spot with 165.530 points, while France claimed the third position with a score of 164.064. This win, however, was far from easy and came after overcoming a series of challenges, including injuries and stumbles.
Next up were the All-Around Finals, where two American legends, Simone Biles and Shilese Jones, once again displayed their dominance, outclassing Rebeca Andrade of Brazil. The Women’s Gymnastics World Championships All-Around Final standings had Simone Biles secure gold with 58.399 points, Rebeca Andrade of Brazil secure 56.766, and Shilese Jones took home bronze with? 56.332. However, in the recent Vault and Uneven Bars Finals, Brazil sent a strong message to the USA, leading to heartbreak for the American team. This came just days after Brazil was seemingly snubbed in favor of America.
Brazil gives team USA a staunch response
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In the Vault Finals, Rebeca Andrade outperformed Simone Biles on her signature move, breaking Biles’ winning streak. Biles encountered a fall while attempting her signature “Biles II” on her first vault and then performed the Cheng vault for her second, earning a score of 14.549. On the other hand, Andrade executed the Cheng for her first vault and the Double Twisting Yurchenko for her second, securing a massive score of 14.750 and surpassing Simone Biles. Unfortunately, this wasn’t the only heartbreak of the night.
Women’s Vault final at #ARTWorlds2023:
? Rebeca Andrade ?? 14.750
? Simone Biles ?? 14.549
? Yeo Seojeong ?? 14.416#Gymnastics pic.twitter.com/RtFKOUyhIS? FIG (@gymnastics) October 7, 2023
In the Uneven Bars Finals, Qiu Qiyuan of China impressed with a score of 15.100, once again outclassing Simone Biles and Team USA, claiming the gold. Kaylia Nemour of Algeria secured the silver with a score of 15.033, while Shilese Jones of the USA took home the bronze with a score of 14.766. Simone Biles, on the other hand, found herself in fifth place with a score of 14.200. This loss for America followed closely on the heels of Brazil’s perceived snubbing.
How the gymnastics team was snubbed before
Before the Team Finals, an Instagram reel by Antwerp2023 posed the question, “Who will win this evening’s women’s team final?” The responses overwhelmingly favored Team USA for the gold. Leanne Wong, a member of the USA team, expressed the goal, stating, “That’s the goal, Team USA for gold.”
Predictions based on Day 1 results suggested that Brazil and Great Britain were likely contenders for silver and bronze, respectively. The top four contenders after Day 1 included the United States, Great Britain, the People’s Republic of China, and Brazil, each earning Paris 2024 team quota spots.
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However, despite initial optimism, recent standings and performances by other countries have shown that America has faced formidable competition and heartbreaking moments in this championship on Day 8 at the vault and uneven bars finals.
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