When swimmers touch the wall at the Olympic trials, they can look to their side, then verify with the arena’s scoreboard and know they have achieved their dream. Because three athletes perform on each apparatus in the team final, gymnasts don’t need to be strong across the board to be valuable. Despite the mistakes, Douglas’s scores gave her a narrow edge over Skinner, the fourth-place finisher, when simulating a team final. This summer, the United States will be expected to win the team final by a large margin, especially given the absence of Russia. Memmel is not on the selection committee, but Alicia Sacramone Quinn, another member of the high performance staff, is one of three committee members.

Source: Washington Post June 28, 2024 20:10 UTC