Russia, the defending champion in group rhythmic gymnastics, did not top the standings after group qualifications on Saturday, but they weren’t far behind. Spain finished the group qualifications on top, edging out Russia by just 0.233 points. The Russian group was never in danger of failing to qualify for the eight-team final, but it was surprising to see them come up just short nonetheless.
Olympic gymnastics, group all-around results 2016: Spain, Russia top qualifying
Spain finished ahead of Russia, the winners of the last four Olympic gold medals in the event, in Saturday’s qualifying session.
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Unlike other gymnastics competitions around the world, the qualification scores do not carry over to the finals in the Olympics. Scores will be reset, which means Russia will not be at a disadvantage when they try to earn team gold over Spain and the other six groups when the group finals take place on Sunday, the final day of the Rio Olympics.
Russia has won the Olympic gold in the group competitions at the last four Olympics. They did not win it in the 1996 Atlanta games, when the competition made its Olympic debut. Spain won the title that year and are now Russia’s biggest challengers.
The United States will not be participating in the final. The other teams that made it through are Belarus, Italy, Japan, Israel, Bulgaria and Ukraine. Below are the scores from those countries:
1. Spain: 35.749
2. Russia: 35.516
3. Belarus: 35.433
4. Italy: 35.349
5. Japan: 35.149
6. Israel: 34.883
7. Bulgaria: 34.182
8. Ukraine: 33.816
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