RIO DE JANEIRO _ Team USA repeated as Olympic women's team gymnastics champion Tuesday with a performance that was beyond fierce.
The U.S. presented a convincing case as the greatest team in history at the Rio Olympic Arena Tuesday, rolling up 184.897 total points, more than the U.S. squad, the self-proclaimed Fierce Five, scored in winning the gold medal in London four years ago.
The U.S.' final gap over runner-up Russia (176.688) also exceeded the 2012 team's 5.056 margin of victory. China was third at 176.003.
The result was really not in doubt after the opening rotation for the U.S., the vault, where Simone Biles followed up Aly Raisman's 15.833 mark with a performance that earned a 15.933.
By the end of the second rotation, the U.S. had opened a more than four-point gap on China in second.