Emily Giambalvo

emilygiam.bsky.social

22 October 2026 14:25

The U.S. used to often be the top execution score team on each event. (I didn't fully know this until I looked at this data!) But that's no longer the case! On Wednesday, it became a matter of whether their D score advantage was enough of a cushion to make up for mistakes.

Emily Giambalvo

emilygiam.bsky.social

22 October 2026 14:25

But the Americans are no longer runaway favorites and can't withstand mistakes as past teams once could. Yesterday's silver was as simple as beam. But also interesting that the team's D score advantage over the field was relatively small (1.3 points over China, 0.7 over Japan).

Emily Giambalvo

emilygiam.bsky.social

22 October 2026 14:25

For years, gold medals had been the norm for the U.S. women's gymnastics team (often by massive margins). Yesterday's silver at world championships proved the U.S.'s standing has changed: Tight competitions & tense final moments might be the new reality. www.nytimes.com/athletic/int...

Nancy Armour

nrarmour.bsky.social

21 October 2026 13:23

These world championships are letting everyone see what Simone Biles has known all along: Reese Esponda is special.

Nancy Armour

nrarmour.bsky.social

21 October 2026 13:17

The US men keep saying they can win a gold medal in LA. Their sixth-place finish at these worlds was a reality check of where they stack up.