US Women's Gymnastics 2016: Meet the Team Headed to Rio
On Sunday evening in San Jose, California, we learned who would be representing the United States women's gymnastics team at the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro.
If you're not familiar with the team yet, buckle up. American fans have wallowed in an embarrassment of riches in this sport for a while, and the 2016 group could be a dynamo even by those high standards.
The women's team won the all-around gold, as well as four individual medals, at the 2012 Games in London. Could it do that again? Oh, yes.
At the risk of spoiling the surprise for the six people who haven't heard of her at this point, Simone Biles made the team. That won't spoil a ripe avocado for those who already know the 19-year-old as the best gymnast—perhaps female athlete—in the world.
So that's one for the Americans. But there were four other slots up for grabs on the closing day of the Olympic trials for women's gymnastics.
Which gymnasts made it, and who are they? What can we expect from these competitors in Brazil? Read on.
Simone Biles
The Person
Yes, it's true: Biles is the best there is, and no one disputes that.
Are three consecutive all-around world titles a sufficient testament? Or how about this quote about the 4'9" Texas native, given Sunday to Amy Van Deusen of ESPN: "Just when we thought we were at the physical limit of the sport, then here comes Simone Biles. She's the best I've ever seen. ... She has a special, unique quality no one else has."
The speaker? Just 1984 Olympian Mary Lou Retton—the first-ever American all-around individual gold medalist in women's gymnastics.
The 19-year-old Biles overcame substantial hardship to reach this stage. Her biological mother was addicted to drugs and alcohol and gave her up. Her grandfather and his wife, whom the teenager considers her parents, ultimately adopted her.
Her Specialty
You name it, she kills it. That said, her floor exercise is beyond comparison. She has a technique named after her, which is two back flips followed by a half twist.
But it's possible she could take home quite a few individual medals, along with her lead place on a roster many believe will take the team gold.
Laurie Hernandez
The Person
The New Jersey native took second overall at the trials and may be a relatively unfamiliar face. She's had the same coach, Maggie Haney—who had never guided an elite athlete before—since she was five.
She's also the youngest member of the team, at the Olympic minimum participating age of 16 years old. Despite her youth, though, she might have the most natural charisma of anyone on the team.
Her Specialty
The floor routine, where she's known for scoring big style points.
“She is naturally a great dancer,” Haney said, per the Los Angeles Times' Lisa Dillman. “What I’ve tried to do with the floor routine is just give her a routine that suits her personality, not try to stifle her."
Aly Raisman
The Person
You may remember Aly Raisman as the captain of the vaunted Fierce Five who took the team gold in London. She also won a gold in the floor exercise and a bronze in the balance beam at those Games.
At the age of 22, she's considered the "grandma" of this Olympic group, per WKYC's Nick Zaccardi.
In her spare time, to the extent it exists, she works on her own line of sportswear.
Her Specialty
I don't want to say "floor routine" again, but there's no choice. She is the defending Olympic champ in this event, after all, and the routine contains one tumbling pass observers say is nearly impossible.
Gabby Douglas
The Person
Gabby Douglas won the individual all-around gold medal in London to go along with the gold they won as a team.
She needed some good luck to get a second chance for Rio, though.
She oddly made a coaching change just before the Olympic Trials, and after the first day of competition on Friday, Douglas was seventh in the points rankings, which was a problem, since the Olympic team is only five people.
The second night didn't go much better, with the 20-year-old falling off the balance beam as she did the first night.
But the selection committee still added her to the team, probably based on her proven track record at the Games.
Specialty
Uneven bars. This is not a strong event for the Americans in general—another reason for Douglas' selection could be her excellence on this apparatus.
"In many ways, it’s a matter of simple math," wrote Nancy Armour in USA Today. "Uneven bars is the Americans’ weakest event, and Douglas is one of the best of the country on the event. When [U.S. national team coordinator Martha] Karolyi is making out her lineup for team finals ... Douglas is pretty much written on it in ink."
Madison Kocian
The Person
Madison Kocian rounds out the New Fierce Five. Probably the most anonymous member of the group, the 19-year-old Dallas native is no stranger to the world stage, having been a member of Team USA's group gold at the 2014 and 2015 World Gymnastics Championships.
Specialty
Uneven bars. She's the 2015 co-world champion on the bars, and her strength there will be crucial to Team USA's team title aspirations.
"The scores don't really matter to the selection committee right now," Kocian said Saturday, per Alyssa Roenigk of espnW.com. "It's what you have been doing in practice throughout the week and your consistency. After tonight, my confidence has increased."
Kocian's past record in the bars played a role in her selection here.