Great Britain claimed a first women’s team gymnastics medal since 1928 as they delivered an extraordinary bronze at the Tokyo Olympics.
The team of Alice Kinsella, Amelie Morgan and 16-year-old twins Jennifer and Jessica Gadirova impressed throughout and moved above Italy in the final rotation.
The Britons totalled 164.096, with the Russian Olympic Committee taking gold and the US team settling for silver for the first time since 2008.
A first women’s team medal in 93 years!! ?
What a performance from @AliceKinsella16, @ameliemorgan1, @JessicaGadirova & @JenGadirova#TeamGB pic.twitter.com/s5HZPTSbhr
— Team GB (@TeamGB) July 27, 2021
Simone Biles’ bid to claim her first Olympic gold medal of the Tokyo Games suffered a major setback as she was forced to withdraw after one rotation.
Biles misjudged her opening vault, scoring 13.766, the lowest of the first rotation, before leaving the floor briefly with the US team trainer.
Although the 24-year-old returned, she put on her tracksuit and did not compete again as the Americans finished second.
As the Americans battled to overhaul an imposing 2.500 deficit at the halfway stage, the inexperienced Britons continued to impress with a series of solid displays.
But even deep into the last rotation there was little indication of the drama yet to unfold, with a series of Italian vault scores suddenly catapulting the team onto the podium.
It was a spectacular vindication of the British team’s selection policy, which was racked with controversy over the decision to omit former world medallist Becky Downie.
