TOKYO — Tom Forster’s words were jarring. Not because they were controversial or insincere, but because they simply hadn’t been uttered by someone in charge of the USA Gymnastics women’s program for a long, long time.
“I want to say congratulations to Russia for the amazing competition they did today, for the transformation they’ve made since 2019,” Forster said after the team representing the Russian Olympic Committee finished ahead of the Americans during Olympic qualifying on Sunday.
The strides made by the U.S’s longtime rival were lost amid the immediate shock of having the U.S. team led by reigning Olympic champion Simone Biles find itself looking up at the scoreboard to someone above them for the first time since the 2010 world championships.