TOKYO — Four years ago, Russian gymnast Angelina Melnikova watched as the United States women’s gymnastics team steamrolled its way to the team gold medal, winning by an outrageous 8.209 points.
The U.S. was a juggernaut. There was nothing Melnikova, then 16 years old, could do except grow determined to make the next time different.
Well, the next time is here, and while the Americans should remain the favorite to win Tuesday’s team title, it was Melnikova and her Russian teammates who posted the top team score in Sunday’s qualifying, not the United States.
Russia recorded a score of 171.