RIO DE JANEIRO _ On the eve of the most anticipated Olympic gymnastics debut in possibly ever, Simone Biles was like a kid the night before Christmas.
In other words, the 19-year-old Texan was just like everyone else who can tell the difference between a Tsukahara and a Yurchenko, and a few million who can't.
" 'Oh, my Gosh, it's here. The Olympics!' " Biles recalled thinking when she went to bed Saturday night in the Olympic Village. " 'Let's go!' "
Biles more than lived up to the hype in the women's team qualifying at the Rio Olympic Arena on Sunday, staying on course in her attempt to become the first woman gymnast to win five gold medals in a single Olympics.
No less than Mary Lou Retton, the original America's sweetheart, has called Biles, winner of 10 World Championship gold medals including the last three all-around titles, the greatest gymnast she has ever seen. Few who saw Biles Sunday would disagree.
Biles not only posted the day's highest individual all-around score (62.366), she also had the top marks on the floor exercise (15.733), beam (15.633) and vault (16.050), the highest single score of the day.
Biles, however, was hardly the only reason Team USA's overall score of 185.238 was more than 10 points higher than the next team, China (175.279), in the qualifying for Tuesday's team final.
"We hit 16 for 16," said Aly Raisman, the 2012 Olympic floor exercise gold medalist.
It was a performance that was so explosive and flawless from start to finish that it raised an obvious question: i
Is this U.S. team even better than the Fierce Five, the record-shattering squad that won the Olympic team crown in London four years ago?
"I keep getting that question," said Gabby Douglas, the 2012 Olympic all-around champion. "Why can't you guys answer that one?"
The U.S. took their dominance to a new level Sunday, posting the highest individual score on all four apparatus with each team member qualifying for at least one individual event final later in the week.
The only real suspense Sunday was which one of Biles' teammates would join her in advancing to Thursday's all-around final. International rules allow only two gymnasts per country to advance to the individual finals.
Raisman and Douglas are the only holdovers from the London team, although with Raisman it's not always apparent she's a veteran. By her own admission she was "laughing so hysterically" during the team's lunch Sunday that she was admonished by U.S. national team director Martha Karolyi.
"I'm happy you're having fun but remember you have to compete," Raisman recalled Karolyi telling her.
Raisman did just fine with the competing part. She and Douglas were separated by less than half a point for second place headed into the balance beam on the final rotation.
Douglas led off, finishing with a 14.833 score for 60.131 total points. Raisman was next. About halfway through her routine, she lost her balance, wobbled and nearly fell off the beam. After Raisman safely dismounted she sweated out several nerve-wracking moments, alternating clasping her hands in prayer, nervously chewing on her fingernails and wrapping her arms around her as if needing something to hold onto.
Finally her score flashed on the arena scoreboard _ 14.833, the same as Douglas.
Raisman was in the all-around final with a 60.607 score. Sunday's next highest all-around score was 58.732 by Brazil's Rebeca Andrade.
"Besides the little thing on beam it was the best meet I've ever had," Raisman said.
Biles, the last person to compete in the session, then put an exclamation mark on the day, and perhaps the best meet anyone has ever had, nailing the landing at the end of her beam routine and then breaking into a wide smile.
"The meet was finally over," Biles recalled thinking "and we're officially Olympians."
