GBritain arrived at the Tokyo Olympics two years ago as heavy underdogs with low expectations. Not only was it an extremely young and experienced group, but they also had to ignore the extensive criticism of the team composition following the omission of Becky Downie. However, at the end of a chaotic, unforgettable evening in the Tokyo team final, the team brilliantly kept their nerves in check and emerged as a surprise bronze medalist.
The British team remained the revelation of the past three years. Gymnasts sometimes struggle to emulate such lofty successes, but a year later the Great Britain team further established themselves as one of the strongest in the world by winning a first world team silver medal on home soil in Liverpool. This year they became European champions for the first time and their second place in qualifying showed that they have not given up.
On Wednesday they will be among the favorites to win another team medal behind an imperious American team, who scored 171.395 to put Britain more than five points ahead in qualifying. As Britain looks to cement its place at the top of the sport, Simone Biles will look to take her first step towards becoming the most decorated gymnast of all time.
Biles, already the most decorated gymnast at world championships, currently has 32 medals at the Olympics and world championships combined. She will tie Vitaly Scherbo’s tally of 33 if the United States finishes on the podium as expected.
Great Britain’s success is down to the core duo of Alice Kinsella, who at 22 is the oldest member of the team, and Jessica Gadirova, who continues to establish herself as one of the very best gymnasts in the world. But the tight-knit group has also shown their depth, with numerous gymnasts contributing to their success over the past three seasons. Ondine Achampong, Georgia Mae Fenton and Ruby Evans will each play a key role in further success on Wednesday night.
In the meantime, the competition is only getting fiercer. Once one of the top powers in women’s gymnastics, China has fallen away in recent years, but the country showed significant improvements this week to finish just half a point behind Britain. Brazil, meanwhile, qualified just a point and a half behind China, their success driven by the genius of Rebeca Andrade, last year’s all-around champion, and a solid group around her. Italy also has the potential to challenge for medals despite disappointing qualifying performances.
Everything is different in the final. While four gymnasts compete on each apparatus and the best three scores count in qualifying, in the team finals three gymnasts compete on each apparatus and all three scores count. There is no margin for error. The British team have shown that they can not only handle the pressure that comes with this format, but actually thrive in it. China, Brazil and Italy will try to catch up.
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The absence of the men’s and women’s Olympic champions Russia, banned after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, remains notable. Despite significant opposition from other national federations, said the International Gymnastics Federation it would allow individual Russian and Belarusian athletes to compete “under strict conditions” from early 2024, provided they are not involved or associated with the Russian or Belarusian governments.
It seems unlikely that Russian gymnasts could meet even the most abstract definition of “neutrality.” Almost every member of Russia’s gold medal teams has were already attending pro-war ralliesthey have worn Z symbols in publicSome train at clubs affiliated with the Russian military, others are members of the National Guard and the men’s gold medal team bought a drone for Russian troops. Russia’s most prominent active gymnast, former world all-around champion Nikita Nagornyy, is head of the Young Army Cadets and a key figure in the Russian state’s efforts to spread its propaganda among the youth.