They're key parts of the gymnastics team that set a new standard in Rio Tuesday – but today, they're going for individual gold: Simone Biles and Aly Raisman will contend with each other and other gymnasts in the all-around competition.
The gymnasts entered the arena to loud cheers — particularly for Rebeca Andrade of Brazil. We'll remind you that Team USA's Gabby Douglas can't compete in this final, because each country is limited to 2 athletes.
In the competition, four groups of gymnasts rotate around the arena to the different apparati. After the first half of Thursday's final, Biles was in second place, trailing Russia's Aliya Mustafina 30.866 to 30.832. Raisman was in third.
Here's the start list for the Americans' group, which will begin on the vault:
Rebeca Andrade — 17, Brazil
Aly Raisman — 22, U.SA.
Simone Biles — 19, U.S.A.
Yan Wang – 16, China
Aliya Mustafina – 21, Russia
Seda Tutkhalian – 17, Russia
Update at 4:54 p.m. ET: Andrade Wows The Home Crowd
We thought we'd see something special when the Brazilian Andrade took the floor, and we're not disappointed. A roar began as she walked on the surface, and the crowd is going bananas for her medley of pop music.
She is nailing her landings in time with the music and showing real grace. Many in the crowd are on their feet when she finishes.
When her score is announced — 13.766 — the crowd howls as if Lord Voldemort himself has just set foot in the arena. They then chant "An-drade!"
Up next: Raisman, then Biles.
Update at 4:46 p.m. ET: Mustafina Makes Her Bid For Silver
In a floor program that has the art and elegance you'd expect from a Russian gymnast who finished third in this discipline in the London Games, Mustafina impresses the crowd. But her program doesn't wow the judges. Her score: 13.933 — 14th-best of the day.
Mustafina is not one to dilly-dally. Before the scores were announced, she sat on the floor and unwrapped the tape from her ankles. She talks with her coach, but there are no smiles this time.
Update at 4:37 p.m. ET: One Skill Left: Who Will Take Gold And Silver?
The floor exercise is under way, and Biles leads with a combined score of 46.265. She has the top scores of the day on both the vault and beam.
Mustafina is in second place — she led after the uneven bars — with a score of 44.732. Right behind her at 44.665 is Raisman, who overcame her slightly wobbly uneven bars performance to turn in a great performance no the beam.
Update at 4:25 p.m. ET: Raisman Is Nearly Perfect On The Beam
After losing ground in the uneven bars, she needed a great performance — and Raisman turned one in. She had the smoothest routine we've seen on the apparatus, with only a hop on her dismount to break up what was a smooth and artful routine.
She knows it the second she lands; she hugs her coach and — everyone's all smiles now — she and Biles share a big hug and chatter the way we've seen them.
Raisman's score is 14.866 — giving her a solid third place as they head to the floor exercise — and she can set her sights on Mustafina in second.
The American followed Andrade, whose performance got the crowd her in Rio to get loud.
Update at 4:18 p.m. ET: Mustafina Slumps
It's now Mustafina's turn. Will she be able to keep the pressure on Biles, who had such a strong performance on the vault? She looks fluid and technically strong on the beam, but not as adventurous as others in her group.
The landing on her dismount is not bad, but not great. Score: 13.866 — 10th-best on the beam so far today. She trails Biles by around 1.5 points heading into the last skill of the rotation for their group: the floor exercise.
Mustafina's teammate, Tutkhalian, follows with a wobbly routine that she's not pleased about. Landed on her backside after initially sticking the dismount.
Update at 4:15 p.m. ET: Wang Delivers A Smooth Routine
It's the kind of routine that afterward, she has no problem turning to the camera and giving a bright smile and a wave.
A replay just showed that Wang seems to be able to touch her forehead with her toes when she leaps off the beam and curls her legs backwards. We have no idea how one realizes that that's possible — other than to credit her with lots of practice.
Update at 4:10 p.m. ET: Biles On The Beam
Biles leads off the second half of the competition by starting her group's rotation on the beam. She shows the grace and strength for which she's famous, making a series of flips and a one-foot spin look perfectly natural on a 4-inch-wide beam. Her dismount looks flawless to us, with a landing that stuck her to the floor.
Mustafina walks away from the area, puts her hands on her hips.
Biles was all smiles afterward, but then got quiet as the wait for her score dragged on. Here it is: 15.433, the best of the day so far.
Update at 4 p.m. ET: Seitz Slips Down Ranks
Coming off a strong uneven bars performance, Elisabeth Seitz needed a good balance beam routine to stay in contention for a medal. She didn't get it, netting a 13.200 score that drops her to 13th.
Update at 3:55 p.m. ET: Mustafina Moves Into First
Her vault was solid and her uneven bars routine was great: Mustafina has served notice that this is not a two-way meet between Biles and Raisman.
Mustafina's 15.666 score on the bars is the best of the day.
Update at 3:45 p.m. ET: Uneven Bars Throw Raisman A Curve
Raisman performs her routine on the uneven bars and looks a little concerned that perhaps it was off. Her score suggests it was: 14.166 — lower than five other gymnasts who've already performed there.
Biles then follows — and she's smiling as she lands, because she knows her feet just landed with a straight solid thunk. Score: 14.966, for the second-best rating of the day on the bars.
The best score on the uneven bars came from Germany's Elisabeth Seitz, 22, who earned a 15.233. She used it to get into the top 6.
So far, Raisman's combined two scores are enough to keep her in second place after her first two skills. We'll be watching closely to see if that holds.
Update at 3:25 p.m. ET: The In-Between Times
Biles and Raisman have been mainly looking focused and business-like — as gymnasts often do in a competition like this. We've seen them trade smiles a little. And now as the wait for their next rotation to be called, they gather and talk to their coach.
The Russian gymnasts, Mustafina and Tutkhalian, seem to be under less pressure. They're chatting quietly and smiling — and Mustafina tells Tutkhalian to hold still, because they're a slight mar to the makeup near her eye. She brushes it away, and Tutkhalian thanks her. It turns out Tutkhalian is a smiler - she won't stop. It's a nice moment.
Update at 3:15 p.m. ET: Scores Come In
Mustafina lands her vault perfectly — similar to how the Americans performed in the team competition. She scores a 15.200
We're now one-quarter through this final, and the scores for the Americans' group after the vault are:
Biles - 15.866
Raisman - 15.633
Andrade - 15.566
Mustafina - 15.200
Tutkhalian - 14.866
Wang - 14.733
Because the Americans' group started out on the vault — the quickest of all the apparati — they'll wait a bit before getting to warm up on the uneven bars.
As more scores come in, Wang drops to eighth place. She'll have to work to reclaim some ground.
Update at 3:13 p.m. ET: Wang Yan
China's lone gymnast in the top group of this rotation doesn't get the elevation of her competitors. She takes a sideways step to help keep her feet on the landing pad. The judges slice a tenth of a point off her score.
Update at 3:10 p.m. ET: Raisman And Biles On The Vault
After Andrade leads off with a twisting vault on which she lands slightly off-kilter, Raisman follows with a vault of her own, performing 2-1/2 twists in an Amanar that she finishes with a little hop on the landing.
Biles follows with her own Amanar — and, like Raisman, takes a rather large hop and a step upon landing.
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