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Three-time Olympian Dominique Dawes told CNBC that a lack of audience contributed to the US women’s gymnastics team’s second place finish on Sunday behind the Russian Olympic Committee team.
“They feel a little lost because there is no audience out there to feed off that adrenaline,” said Dawes, the first African-American woman to win an individual Olympic medal in artistic gymnastics. “I couldn’t imagine at any of my three Olympics that the public wouldn’t chant: ‘Go to the USA!’ or, at least, just feed off their energy, so that must be hard. ”
Organizers of the Olympics have banned spectators from the games in Tokyo, after Japan declared a state of emergency amid rising Covid-19 cases in the country.
The Russian women’s gymnastics team had a best score of 171.629, more than one point ahead of the US women’s team’s total of 170.562. Dawes, however, told “The News with Shepard Smith” that Team USA’s second place isn’t necessarily negative.
“I love that they are in second place, honestly that makes it a competition,” said Dawes.
While Olympic champion Simone Biles received the highest overall score of all participating gymnasts and qualified for each individual event, she took to Instagram to write about the tremendous pressure she feels during the games. from Tokyo.
“It wasn’t an easy day or my best day, but I’ve been through it,” she wrote. “I really feel like I have the weight of the world on my shoulders sometimes. I know I brush it off and make the pressure feel like it’s not affecting me, but damn sometimes it’s hard hahaha! ” Biles wrote. “The Olympics are no joke! BUT I’m happy that my family was able to be with me virtually,” she said. “They represent the world to me!”
Dawes, who won team gold in the 1996 Atlanta Olympics “Magnificent Seven”, said she understands the pressure Biles is feeling.
“This is how I felt before the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta, Georgia,” Dawes said. “We had to win gold, make history, be the very first women’s team to do it, and I knew, as the leader of this team, that my scores really mattered, so I feel what she feels. , but I hope she knows we are behind her every step of the way, and whatever the outcome, we love her, and she is a positive force for the sport of gymnastics. “
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