RIO DE JANEIRO, Aug. 19, 2016 – 2016 World Cup medalist Laura Zeng of Libertyville, Ill./North Shore Rhythmic Gymnastics, finished 11th in the all-around standings today at the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio. Zeng’s finish is the best for U.S. rhythmic gymnast since Valerie Zimring tied for 11th at the 1984 Olympic Games in Los Angeles.
In the first rotation, Zeng got things off to a strong start, scoring 17.666 for her ball routine set to Jennifer Hudson’s “Feeling Good.” She showed strong turns and an intricate mastery where she passed the ball between her feet while performing a front walkover.
Zeng was stunning with the hoop as she performed to Sonata No. 14 by Georgi Cherkin and opened with a leap through her hoop. She closed her routine, which scored 17.650, with a clean catch of the hoop while performing a back walkover.
With the ribbons, Zeng performed an upbeat routine and had a clean routine going as she opened with rotations under a high toss into a cartwheel. She dropped the ribbon stick on her final toss and scored 16.825. She was in 11th place after three events.
Performing to “Bolero” in the final rotation, Zeng delivered her highest score of the competition, a 17.700 with the clubs, to just miss out on a berth to the all-around final. She closed her routine with a clean trap catch.
Ways to follow the action
- NBCOlympics.com. Live coverage of competition will be available online at NBCOlympics.com. The schedule is listed below.
- Aug. 20, rhythmic group qualifications (five ribbons), 9 a.m. ET
- Aug. 20, rhythmic group qualifications (six clubs, two hoops), 11:40 a.m. ET
- Aug. 20, rhythmic individual all-around final, 2:20 p.m. ET
- Aug. 21, rhythmic group all-around final, 10 a.m. ET
- USAGym2016.com. The Olympic Games is easier than ever to follow online. Athlete bios, schedules, results and more are available at usagym2016.com, which is easily viewable on smart phones and other digital devices.
- USAGym.org. The USA Gymnastics official website is a great source for information about the sport: latest news, the schedule of its premier events, athlete biographies, videos, photo galleries and more.
- TeamUSA.org. The U.S. Olympic Committee’s website is also a good resource for information on the Team USA in Rio.
- Social Media. USA Gymnastics is providing live updates and exclusive content, including interviews and photos, on Facebook and Twitter (@USAGym).