The U.S. Olympic team trials for women’s gymnastics took place this weekend in St. Louis, and spoiler alert: gymnastics goddess Simone Biles won. But the other athletes competing also put on a spectacular show — especially 18-year-old Sunisa Lee, whose all-around score of 58.166 on Sunday unexpectedly beat Biles’ 57.533. It’s the first time Biles has been outscored in a single day of all-around competition since 2013.
Of course, Biles still took the top spot by the end of the event with an overall combined score of 118.098, while Lee came in second at 115.832. Even so, anyone capable of surpassing Biles for even a moment in absolutely anything relating to the sport is worth paying attention to. Biles is basically gymnastics personified.
The final scores for the U.S. Olympic Gymnastics Trials saw Lee beat out Biles on the uneven bars and balance beam, with Biles having made some uncharacteristic mistakes during her routines. Biles still pulled ahead on vault and floor though, earning a combined score high enough to secure her number one spot. Still, Lee was more than happy with placing second.
“I know it probably won’t happen again,” Lee said on beating Biles, noting the four-time Olympic gold medallist’s unusual mishaps. “But I was really excited.”
Both women have earned their place on the Tokyo Olympics team, this being Lee’s first Olympics. Joining them are third and fourth place winners Jordan Chiles and Grace McCallum.
