TOKYO — Like so many other fans, the U.S. men’s gymnastics team tuned into the women’s qualifiers on Sunday expecting to watch the Americans dominate. Instead they saw the worst performance by a U.S. women’s team in more than a decade: For the first time since the 2010 world championships, the Americans did not finish first in qualifiers. They took second to Russia, 171.629 to 170.562.
The women had shown up for Saturday’s men’s qualifying round, which left the Americans in fourth, so the men strode into the Ariake Gymnastics Center draped in U.S. gear and carrying two American flags.