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Biles, Raisman (and USA Gymnastics) end on high notes
If it was up to Aly Raisman, the U.S. would be credited with gold medal A. and gold medal B. in the floor exercise finals Tuesday. Not because Raisman thinks she’s the best. Quite the contrary.
“I think it was after all-around and before floor, [teammate] Laurie Hernandez was like, ‘If you get silver again, you’re the best because Simone doesn’t count,’ ” Raisman recalled with a laugh. “We just don’t consider ourselves competing against her. … It’s like she’s just on another level.”
Both levels were put on display as the Olympic gymnastics competition came to a close with Simone Biles and Raisman repeating the gold-silver finishes they had in all-around with stirring performances on floor to bring the team total to nine medals, a U.S. women’s gymnastics record.
In addition to the dominating team gold medal performance (eight points over silver medalist China), Biles won four individual medals (three gold, one bronze), Raisman won two silver, Lauren Hernandez, one silver and Madison Kocian, one silver.
“There’s probably a list of things we’ve all done well here,” Biles said when asked to rank, “but I think me and Aly put the cherry on top…”
Both gymnasts received their high scores of the competition: a 15.966 for Biles and for Raisman, who won Olympic gold in floor in 2012, a 15.5…