Top 10 Gymnastics Moments from Rio

RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – AUGUST 16: (L to R) Silver medalist Alexandra Raisman of the United States, gold medalist Simone Biles of the United States and Amy Tinkler of Great Britain pose for photographs on the podium at the medal ceremony for the Women’s Floor on Day 11 of the Rio 2016 Olympic Games at the Rio Olympic Arena on August 16, 2016 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. (Photo by Alex Livesey/Getty Images)

5. Aly Raisman gets all-around vindication from ’12

The tie-breaker rules in gymnastics are brutal, and no one knows it better than Aly Raisman. In 2012 she lost the bronze medal to Aliya Mustafina because of that very rule. Here it is (from the official rules):

"Should there be ties in the team finals in London, the lowest apparatus score will be dropped and the remaining scores added. If that doesn’t break the tie, additional apparatus scores will be dropped, one at a time, until there is a winner. If no winner emerges, the tie stands. There is a similar formula for the all-around final. But if no winner has emerged following the dropping of apparatus scores, the execution score total for each gymnast serve as the tie-breaker, followed by his or her total start value. If that doesn’t establish a winner, the tie will stand."

To be fair to both Aly and Aliya, though, no matter what apparatus score was dropped, Aliya would have beaten Aly in 2012. It was a huge question mark whether Aly would even make it into the all-around final this year, though. Her competition was between Simone, a no-brainer, and the defending Olympic all-around champion, Gabby Douglas. Because of a two-per-country rule, where only two from each country can compete in the all-around final, Gabby just missed her chance to go two for two. Aly made it in right behind Simone, and got her chance at revenge. And when she hit her floor routine- her last rotation- the tears immediately started to fall. She knew she’d done something special, despite a small hiccup on her uneven bars routine. This year she won the silver medal. And the Bronze? Aliya Mustafina.

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