August 2016
OLYMPICS - RIO 2016
7
The Stentorian I NCSSM
U.S. Women’s Gymnastics Team
Expected to Dominate in Rio
By MARGAUX WINTER
There are a few Olympic
sports in which Team U.S.A.
dominates the field, and
one of them is Women’s
Gymnastics. Although there
are two returning members
from the Fierce Five team of
2012, Gabby Douglas and Aly
Raiskin, this team is lead by
the worldwide phenomenon
Simone Biles.
For the past three years.
Biles has been blowing
away the competition on an
international level. In fact,
she hasn’t lost a competition
during those three years, and
has been the all-around world
champion in 2013,2014,2015.
Biles has won every single
all-around competition she’s
entered since the 2013 P&G
Championships, and she is
projected to win up to five gold
medals at Rio.
Biles had the highest score
at the end of the U.S. Olympic
Trials, meaning that she had
an automatic bid for the team.
She is known across the sport
as having impeccable form
and unimaginable power. One
of the most famous gymnastic
coaches and the main decision-
maker for the U'.S. team, Marta
• Karolyi, has been known to
say that Simone Biles is the
greatest gymnast she has even
seen. That’s a pretty incredible
allegation, considering
Karolyi is 73 and watched the
Magnificent Seven, the first
Olympics women’s gymnastics
team to win gold, compete in
1996.
Like many other gymnasts.
Biles has a short stature of
4’9”, but she has amazing
power. She sticks almost
every landing and has a near
perfect vault. On floor, she
is often compared to Japan’s
leading male gymnast, K5hei
Uchimura. Uchimura is a
five-time Olympic medalist
(all-around, team, and floor
exercise) and 19-time World
medalist (all-around, team,
floor, high bar, and parallel
bars). Both Uchimura and
Biles perform difficult and
dangerous skills and routines in
the most graceful of manners.
They make impossible feats of
strength and balance look easy.
Even small bobbles are seen as
huge mistakes in the eyes of
these two elite gymnasts, but
even with these small mistakes
they are able to procure
medallions.
Although Biles’s prowess
cannot be overstated, the other
four Olympians on the team
are also huge contenders for
medals. The projected number
two for the all-around is Aly
Raisman. At 22 years old,
Raisman is an experienced
athlete, having competed and
COMMONS.WIKIMEDIA.ORG: KERNANDO FRAZAO/AGfiNCIA BRASH.
Simone Biles, 19-year-old gymnast, competes in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
won three medals in the 2012
Olympics, two gold and one
bronze. Like Biles, Raisman is
known for her incredible power,
which is evidenced clearly in
her floor routines. Raisman has
impeccable footwork in floor,
always landing her skills in the
same spot and same manner;
she demonstrates perfect
consistency.
Of course. Gabby Douglas
is another familiar face. Her
performance at London 2012
has won her many sponsorships
with major companies, but her
presence at championships
over the past four years has
been shaky. When Gabby
performs well, she blows
the competition away, but
she is often unpredictable.
Notably, during- the trials.
Gabby fell twice off the beam
in the middle of her routine,
surprisingly during some of
her more simple skills.
The two up-and-coming
stars on the team are Laurie
Hernandez and Madison
Kocian. Laurie Hernandez
is the first U.S.-born Latina
to go to the Olympics with
the U.S. gymnastics team
since 1984. Hernandez just
started competing as a senior
gymnast this past March. Her
performance at the trials was at
the top of her game, and placed
her second in the all-around
and first on beam.
Kocian is a specialist on the
uneven bars. Although she is
also talented on the beam, her
uneven bars performance is
the best on the team. She won
her spot to win medal for the
United States on the uneven
bars, historically one of the
country’s weakest events.
Overall, this year’s team
is comprised of unparalleled
talent. With Raisman serving
as the team captain, this U.S
.team is expected to make
history.
As the Olympics Rev Up, So Do
Problems in Rio
By MARGAUX WINTER
As the Olympics ap
proached this summer, Rio de
Janeiro became plagued with
a myriad of problems. Not the
least of which included pol
luted waterways, missed dead
lines for building the Olympic
Village, and economic down
turn.
Onlookers hoped that these
issues could be resolved before
the games started, but it seems
as if we can only hope the
stellar athletes’ performances
overshadow these major, per
sistent issues.
Athletes in the Olympic
Village have reported huge
leaks, faulty plumbing, and
disconnected fire alarms. Due
to these infrastructure issues in
the Olympic village, the U.S.
men s and women’s basketball
teams have opted to stay on a
luxury yacht instead of in the
provided quarters.
As usual, the basketball
teams are projected to dominate
their prospective fields, and
as such, their sponsor, Cisco,
is paying for the 196-cabin
luxury cruise ship.
In addition to construction
issues, there have been several
reports of crime in and around
the Olympic Village, as well as
concerns raised over reports of
debris in the waterways in Rio.
Not only are the waters toxic,
but participants in water sports
such as sailing and kayaking
are afraid of the unforeseen
effects large debris may have
on their sports.
Sailors have been warned
that the water is not potable,
which is usually not an issue,
but it could cause problems if
a boat is capsized and water is
ingested accidentally.
Crime organized by major
drug gangs is a huge problem
in Rio. Low-level crime is a
constant issue, but the high
level of murder in Brazil has
led the country to be dubbed
“the most dangerous place in
the world outside of Syria.’’
The beaches that will be
used by visitors during the
games are not completely safe,
says the Overseas Advisory
Security Council. Assaults and
shootings are known to take
place on the beaches after dark.
Some ofthe local inhabitants
are unhappy with the influx of
people. With the cramped and
windy roads, it can be hard for
locals to go about their day-to-
day business. As inhabitants
try to get to work, there is often
heavy traffic from incoming
athletes and spectators. A
Ithough the government
has advised locals to stay
off particular roads to
reduce congestion, some are
unwilling to follow these
recommendations.
Despite an economic boom
right before Rio won the bid
for the 2016 Olympics, more
recently Rio has been engulfed
in an economic downturn. Two
months before the start of the
Olympics, Rio de Janeiro’s
governor declared a financial
state of emergency.
In the face of weak
commodity prices, low
demand from China, and
falling tax revenue, Brazil
has cut spending from health.
police, and education budgets.
Fortunately, the Olympics
is funded by several private
companies, a much safer
option in the face of the current
economics, but the state of
emergency has caused much
social unrest.
Some protesters have taken
to the streets and are unable to
be contained, as the security
budget for the Olympics has
been cut drastically. One side
effect could be a rise in violent
crime as the 500,000 visitors
flood Rio.
From a spectator’s
standpoint, this year’s
Olympics are expected to
appear to run smoothly, but it
is unlikely that this image will
be mirrored behind the scenes.
FELIPE DANA/REUTERS
The Olympic Village in Rio de Janeiro has been rife with
problems ranging from leaks to disconnected fire alarms.