Simone Biles gets off to shaky start in Tokyo

Simone Biles had a rare off day on Sunday as Team USA failed to win a qualifying round for the first time since 2010 and finished second behind Russia.  

Biles was left long faced after a shaky performance which saw her penalised on both floor and vault as her team finished on 170.526, behind their rivals on 171.629.

Yet she remains on track to win six Olympic golds after successfully qualifying across all individual and team competitions, despite taking a backwards tumble after a botched dismount on the uneven bars. 

Biles – seen competing at the Tokyo Games on Sunday – had a shaky performance Sunday. She is seen competing in the artistic gymnastics balance beam event

She remains on track to win six Olympic golds after successfully qualifying across all individual and team competitions, despite taking a backwards tumble after a botched dismount on the uneven bars 

Chiles was competing in a largely empty arena but even so cheers greeted her every time she began a routine 

Biles crosses her arms and looks dejected while waiting for her score after performing on the balance beam during the women’s artistic gymnastic qualifications

Tom Foster, the women’s gymnastic team’s high performance team co-ordinator said: ‘We had great performances today and some not so great ones.

‘The errors we made were, I think, mental as the girls have been training incredibly well. We have some time to work on things before finals.’

Asked if the team been too sure of beating all challengers with Biles in the team, he replied: I don’t think it was over confidence – no.

‘It will all work out. All the athletes want to win medals. Nobody comes here and doesn’t want to win. So of course we want to win.

‘It is what it is. Sometimes just like in any other sport, great athletes drop the ball… it happens.

‘This was not the finals, this was getting into the finals so this might be a great awakening for us and we will take advantage of it.’ 

Already regarded as one of the sport’s all-time greats, Biles arrived in Tokyo targeting a record haul, including beating the mark of five gold medals at a single Olympics by a woman gymnast.

The 24-year-old was expected to launch an all-out assault on the podium and record books in Tokyo.

Biles will have a packed program in Tokyo leading the U.S. defence of their team title and her all-around crown while qualifying for the finals in the balance beam, asymmetric bars, vault and floor exercise.

With no spectators allowed inside the Ariake Gymnastics Centre due to COVID-19 restrictions, it was very much a business-like effort by Biles and her American team mates. However, it was far from business as usual with a resurgent Russian team firing a warning shot.

With no spectators allowed inside the Ariake Gymnastics Centre due to COVID-19 restrictions, it was very much a business-like effort by Biles and her American team mates

Even without the presence of thousands of screaming fans, the spotlight in a near empty arena seldom strayed from Biles, who was the focus of attention each time she stepped up to a piece of equipment

Biles tilts her head back in frustration during Sunday’s shaky performance during the Tokyo Olympic games 

Biles’s marks were still enough to but her top the all-around on 57.731 just ahead of team mate Sunisa Lee with 57.166

Russia, competing in Tokyo as representatives of the Russian Olympic Committee (ROC) because the country was stripped of its flag and anthem for doping offences, have not won the women’s team title since the United Team at the 1992 Barcelona Olympics but leads with a mark of 171.629, more than a full point clear of the U.S. with 170.562.

The U.S. has won the team event in every Olympics and world championship since 2011.

Even without the presence of thousands of screaming fans, the spotlight in a near empty arena seldom strayed from Biles, who was the focus of attention each time she stepped up to a piece of equipment.

Biles finished with the top mark in the vault but could not find her best form on the beam and uneven bars

Biles looked dejected while waiting for her results to come through in a rare off day for the gymnastics star 

Biles – seen walking out of the arena – finished with the top mark in the vault but could not find her best form on the beam and uneven bars

With zero energy in the building, Biles got the competition off to a flat start by flying off the mat with both feet at the end of one tumbling pass during her floor exercise.

But such was the degree of difficulty of her routine, that even with the big error she still earned the second highest score on the apparatus, behind only Vanessa Ferrari of Italy.

She finished with the top mark in the vault but could not find her best form on the beam and uneven bars.

With zero energy in the building, Biles got the competition off to a flat start by flying off the mat with both feet at the end of one tumbling pass during her floor exercise