Simone Biles' Tokyo 2020 Olympics got off to rocky start.
The four-time Olympic champion started her day with uncharacteristic errors on floor and vault in the first two rotations of Sunday's (25 July) qualifying competition, creating potential for an upset. But the errors weren't just from Biles as the US women failed to post the top score of the day for the first time at a World Championships or Olympics since 2010.
Instead, it was ROC led by 2019 world all-around bronze medallist Angelina Melnikova that earned the top score. They totalled 171.629 to USA's 170.562. China is third at 166.863, as reported by Olympics.com
In the all-around standings, Biles leads - despite her errors - earning a total score of 57.731. Team USA's Suni Lee is currently second at 57.166, followed by Melnikova at 57.132.
The Americans got off to a less than stellar start as Grace McCallum couldn't control her opening tumbling pass, a double-double, and she went out of bounds. She earned just a 13.466. Lee followed, coming up short on her final pass for even lower, a 13.433.
Even Jordan Chiles' seemingly clean routine scored just 13.566. Biles salvaged the rotation for the U.S. team, but even here 14.133 was error-filled. She flew off the floor on her third tumbling pass, coming all the outside the floor exercise with both feet.
On vault, Team USA's woes continued with Lee landing short on her double-twisting Yurchenko while Biles was nearly sideways on her first vault, stepping outside the lines for a .300 neutral deduction. She rebounded with her second vault to earn an average score of 15.166 and a spot in the vault final.
In the third rotation, the U.S. scored nearly seven tenths less than ROC on the uneven bars after Chiles dragged her feet on a transition from high to low. It was her first missed routine in 2021. Biles and McCallum were solid, adding 14.566 and 14.100, respectively. Lee was spectacular despite opting for her "easier" routine. She posted a 15.200 to lead the standings on the event.
The U.S. moved to final rotation needing to average better than 14.133 to pass ROC. But McCallum's shaky routine scored just 13.066. Chiles was second off and fell off on her acrobatic series. Lee was solid, scoring 14.200, the third best on the day.
In the final routine for Team USA, Biles had one of her cleanest routines of the 2021 season going until she overcooked her full-twisting double back dismount. Still, she earned 14.066 and will still likely advance to the final.
