Summary United States won the gymnastics team gold at the Rio Olympics on Tuesday.
RIO DE JANEIRO (AFP) - Simone Biles got her bid for a record five gold medals at the Rio Olympics off to a flying start as the United States women coasted to a team gymnastics title defence on Tuesday.
The five-woman US team -- Biles, Gabby Douglas, Aly Raisman, Madison Kocian and Laurie Hernandez -- claimed gold by a margin of over eight points on Russia with China winning bronze in the Rio Olympic Arena.
The US women become the first team to win back-to-back Olympic golds since Romania in 2000 and 2004. It was their third gold after winning a first in Atlanta 1996.
The 19-year-old Biles, who has dominated women s gymnastics over the past three years, is now on the road to the record haul of five gold medals in her first Olympics.
The ten-time world champion also topped the all-around, floor, beam and vault in preliminaries.
The three-time world all-around champion was the only American to compete on all four apparatus -- vault, uneven bars, balance beam and floor - with all scores counting and no room for error.
She made it look easy as she started by hitting 15.933 on her opening vault, with a 14.800 on uneven bars, on which world champion Kocian gave a spectacular display of aerial acrobatics to lead the way with 15.933.
At the halfway point the US women were almost home and dry having already pulled over four points ahead of China and Russia.
Biles wobbled slightly on the beam but held solid allowing the US to confidently stride into the final rotation on floor with almost a five-point lead on China.
China s Mao Yi slipped off the mat on the floor, ending the 2008 champions challenge for silver.
And taking to the floor Biles turned on the power with an acrobatic display of tumbling to seal a deserved victory which was never in doubt.
The United States scored 184.897, with Russia scoring 176.688. It was a return to the podium for China, 176.003, who failed to medal in London.
Three-time all-around champion Biles was too young to compete in London but since has won a record ten world titles.
Raisman, 22, and 20-year-old Douglas, are the only surviving members of the US gold-medal winning team in London.
Russia were spearheaded by Seda Tutkhalian and Aliya Mustafina, who now has five Olympic medals after her four in London.
Japan (174.371) were fourth ahead of Great Britain (174.362), Germany (173.672), the Netherlands (172.447) and Brazil (172.087).
