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Russian Olympic Committee wins gold in women's team gymnastics as Team USA hit by Simone Biles withdrawal
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Russian Olympic Committee wins gold in women’s team gymnastics as Team USA hit by Simone Biles withdrawal

By Jason Diego / July 27, 2021
After four rotations, the ROC’s Vladislava Urazova, Viktoriia Listunova, Angelina Melnikova achieved a total score of 169.528 points with defending champion Team USA having to sette for silver with 166.096.

Great Britain took bronze with a score of 164.096.

The ROC’s gold is the first in the women’s team event since the 1992 Barcelona Olympics. Victory also secured a famous double for the ROC after the men won gold in Monday’s team event.

“We still can’t believe it’s happening. The impossible is possible now,” said Russian gymnast Angelina Melnikova, who cried after finishing her floor routine.

“We worked extremely hard, we were basically in a closed training camp for a year and a half, working for this moment.

“I knew that it was depending on me and I was feeling overwhelming happiness … knew I had done my job.”

Viktoriia Listunova of Team ROC competes in balance beam during the women's final.
Tuesday’s competition, though, was dominated by Biles’ withdrawal for “medical issues” after the opening rotation.

In a statement posted on Twitter, USA Gymnastics said Biles would be “assessed daily to determine medical clearance for future competitions.”

If passed fit to compete, Biles’ next event could be the women’s all-round final. The American is hoping to add to her haul of four gold medals won at the 2016 Rio Olympics.

Biles still has five gold medal events remaining and should she win them all the 24-year-old would tie Russian gymnast Larisa Latynina’s women’s record of nine gold medals.

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