PARIS, France — The U.S. women's gymnastics team made a triumphant return to the top of women's gymnastics at the Paris Olympics, winning gold in the finals.
With a star-studded five-woman roster headlined by Simone Biles and two Pacific Northwest gymnasts, Jade Carey and Jordan Chiles, the U.S. women's gymnastics team lived up to sky-high expectations.
Team USA dominated from start to finish, starting with strong showings from Chiles, Carey and Biles on the vault, and then continuing on with Suni Lee, Chiles and Biles on the next three events.
Carey, an Oregon State gymnast, only participated in the vault, however her one attempt was part of a strong first three scores which set the tempo for the U.S.
Chiles, who grew up in Vancouver, Washington, contributed to every single event, though stumbling on her mount of the balance beam, she capped off her strong performance with a near perfect floor routine.
With a crowd chalked full of American supporters and some of the greatest athletes to ever come from the U.S. including Michael Phelps and Serena Williams, Team USA brought their A-game.
The U.S. took home gold, placing top of the podium for the first time since the Rio Olympic Games.
In the qualifying round on Sunday, the U.S. dominated placing first in the all-around event with a score of 172.296, nearly six points higher than Italy who placed second.
Simone Biles won her eighth Olympic medal Tuesday in the women's team final, breaking her tie with Shannon Miller to become the most decorated American Olympic gymnast of all time.
Jade Carey and Jordan Chiles both qualified in individual events for the final later this week with Carey placing third in the vault, while Chiles qualifying for the floor exercises. Carey was unable to qualify in the floor exercise which she won gold in during the 2020 Games, which she told media was partially caused by a nagging illness.
It should be noted that Chiles' scores in the vault and all-around were high enough to qualify, however she was third on the U.S. in both events and each country is only allotted two spots in the final.
The U.S. cemented themselves once again as a force to be reckoned with during women's gymnastics. With Biles making her emphatic return to the Olympic Games, and strong performances from the rest of the U.S. it was nearly impossible to stop them.
Later this week, Carey will participate in the vault individual finals on Saturday. Next Monday, Chiles will participate in the floor exercise finals.