Left in the dust, gymnastics rivals bow to Biles
RIO DE JANEIRO, Aug 7 (Reuters) - American gymnast Simone Biles' performance at the Rio Olympics on Sunday was so spectacular that even her rivals were bowing down to the 1.45 meter Texan.
The American team blew away the opposition by almost 10 points in qualifying, propelled by Biles' gravity-defying vaults, vibrant Samba-infused floor choreography, and perfect landings.
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The performance earned her an enviable total score of 62.366 and the bubbly 19 year-old's ear-to-ear grin also won over the audience at the Rio Olympic Arena. Team mate Aly Raisman had the second-highest score of 60.607.
Many of her competitors merely heaped on the praise.
"Everything she does is incredible," Peruvian Ariana Orrego told Reuters after going against her in the fourth group. "It's an honor to compete with her.
"I learn so much just from watching them train."
After debuting at her first Olympic Games, Biles downplayed the admiration.
"We try not to let the pressure get to us," she said, flashing American flag-themed nail polish as she jumped from interview to interview.
The American performance pushed the Chinese, Russian and British teams down the ladder, but even so Biles' closest competitors seemed to accept she was in a league of her own.
"She just wows us," said Britain's Claudia Fragapane. "I really take my hat off to her."
In qualifying, four competitors from each country compete on each apparatus with only the top three scores counting towards the total. In the final, each nation will put forward three athletes and all three scores will count.
With the Biles-led American team so strong, some competitors are feeling a bit fatalistic.
"They are unbeatable at the moment," lamented Russian Aliya Mustafina. (Editing by Peter Rutherford)
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