© FIG Photo
NOTE: The women’s team final will be show live on NBC at 10:15 p.m. ET on AUG. 12
BEIJING, Aug. 12, 2008 – The women’s gymnastics squads from the United States and China will go head-to-head for the team gold medal in the team finals at the 2008 Olympic Games on Aug. 13 at the National Indoor Stadium in Beijing, China. The two countries have finished first and second in the last two World Championships, with the USA taking home the team gold in 2007. The women’s team final is expected to be one of the top events of the Olympic Games, with eight countries vying for the coveted title of Olympic team champion. Also in the team finals are: Australia, Brazil, France, Japan, two-time defending Olympic team champion Romania and Russia. Competition begins at 10:30 a.m. local Beijing time, and will be shown live on NBC in the United States.
Although scores do not carry forward to the final round, China finished just ahead of the USA in the qualification round, 248.275 to 246.800. 2004 Olympic team bronze-medalist Russia and 2007 team world bronze-medalist Romania were third and fourth, respectively. Australia rounded out the top five in fifth place. At the 2004 Olympic Games, Romania won the team gold, with the USA finishing second and Russia third.
The members of the U.S. Olympic Team for women’s gymnastics are: Shawn Johnson of West Des Moines, Iowa/Chow’s Gymnastics; Nastia Liukin of Parker, Texas/WOGA; Chellsie Memmel of West Allis, Wis./M&M Gymnastics; Samantha Peszek of Indianapolis, Ind./DeVeau’s; Alicia Sacramone of Winchester, Mass./Brestyan’s; and Bridget Sloan of Pittsboro, Ind./Sharp’s. The three replacement athletes are: Jana Bieger of Coconut Creek, Fla./Bieger International Gymnastics; Ivana Hong of Blue Springs, Mo./GAGE; and Corrie Lothrop of Gaithersburg, Md./Hill’s.
- Vault: Bridget Sloan, Shawn Johnson, Alicia Sacramone
- Uneven bars: Chellsie Memmel, Shawn Johnson, Nastia Liukin
- Balance beam: Alicia Sacramone, Nastia Liukin, Shawn Johnson
- Floor exercise: Alicia Sacramone, Nastia Liukin, Shawn Johnson
The competition format for the final round is that six gymnasts are on a team, three athletes compete on each event and all three scores count toward the team score.