On Tuesday at the Rio Olympics, the USA gymnastics team fulfilled the nation's confidently high expectations by bringing home the gold. In the final moments before the scores were added up, gymnast Simone Biles performed her floor routine and increased Team USA's margin of victory by an unprecedented amount. Though it was already clear by that point that the U.S. had a good shot at winning, since Biles would only have to score eight points to beat Russia, she wowed audiences anyway by scoring double that. The star gymnast stepped off the mat with a score of 15.8 points. Now that's going above and beyond.
For reference, the highest score to ever be earned within the current system was set by Nastia Luikin in 2008, with 17.1 points. Biles' score is certainly right up there. Her floor routine, similar to that of both Laurie Hernandez and Aly Raisman, was lively and immensely fun, making the judges' decision crystal clear. To make it even better, the routine was Brazilian-inspired.
Biles has been a crowd favorite since before the games kicked off on Friday, and she consistently placed first in the qualification rounds in women's all-around, vault, and beam before helping her team pocket the gold. Of all those events, she stands out perhaps most during her floor routine. The energy in the routine was palpable even through the TV screen.
Prior to being selected as one of the "Final Five" to compete on the Olympics gymnastics team, 19-year-old Biles already had an impressive career. For one, the athlete has won more World medals than any other gymnast in history, and has been an all-around world champion since 2013. Her Olympic performance was no exception to that stellar record. She continued to soar — both literally and figuratively. The amount of air she gains during her passes is unreal.
Prior to her own routine, teammates Raisman and Hernandez set the group up for an easy victory.
Raisman scored a 15.36 — nearly the same score as Biles. And before Raisman, 16-year-old Hernandez took to the floor with a routine that was praised as being particularly artistic and entertaining. She scored a 14.83. Now that the U.S. gymnasts have won, Olympic fans are eager to see what the powerhouse team can do next.
