For Italy and Brazil, losing to Simone Biles' US team at the Olympics still felt like a victory

For Italy and Brazil, losing to Simone Biles’ US team at the Olympics still felt like a victory

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Rebeca Andrade, of Brazil, performs on the vault during the women’s artistic gymnastics team finals at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Tuesday, July 30, 2024, in Paris, France. (AP Photo/Morry Gash)

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Rebeca Andrade, of Brazil, celebrates after performing on the balance beam during the women’s artistic gymnastics team finals round at Bercy Arena at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Tuesday, July 30, 2024, in Paris, France. (AP Photo/Abbie Parr)

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Rebeca Andrade, of Brazil, performs on the balance beam during the women’s artistic gymnastics team finals round at Bercy Arena at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Tuesday, July 30, 2024, in Paris, France. (AP Photo/Francisco Seco)

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Flavia Saraiva, of Brazil, has an injury after falling during a warm up during the women’s artistic gymnastics team finals round at Bercy Arena at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Tuesday, July 30, 2024, in Paris, France. (AP Photo/Francisco Seco)

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Flavia Saraiva, of Brazil, performs on the uneven bars during the women’s artistic gymnastics team finals round at Bercy Arena at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Tuesday, July 30, 2024, in Paris, France. (AP Photo/Natacha Pisarenko)

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Members of Team Italy celebrate after winning the silver medal during the women’s artistic gymnastics team finals round at Bercy Arena at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Tuesday, July 30, 2024, in Paris, France. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)

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Manila Esposito, of Italy, performs on the floor during the women’s artistic gymnastics team finals round at Bercy Arena at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Tuesday, July 30, 2024, in Paris, France. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)

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Alice D’Amato, of Italy, performs on the balance beam during the women’s artistic gymnastics team finals round at Bercy Arena at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Tuesday, July 30, 2024, in Paris, France. (AP Photo/Abbie Parr)

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Team Italy celebrates after winning the silver medal during the women’s artistic gymnastics team finals round at Bercy Arena at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Tuesday, July 30, 2024, in Paris, France. (AP Photo/Abbie Parr)

By SAMUEL PETREQUIN

PARIS (AP) — Watching the celebrations after the Paris Olympics women’s gymnastics team final Tuesday, it was impossible to tell who had won.

The Simone Biles -led U.S. team? Brazil star Rebeca Andrade and her teammates? Or the Italian team led by 17-year-old Manila Esposito?

Athletes from three nations erupted in cheers when the final scores flashed on the giant screens inside raucous Bercy Arena. As the legion of American fans started to chant “U.S.A! U.S.A!”, their Brazilian counterparts danced and waved blue, green and yellow flags. The Italians hugged each other warmly.

The Americans’ total of 171.296 made Biles the most decorated Olympic gymnast in U.S. history with an eighth gold medal.

But it was a historic day for Italy and Brazil, too.

Italy’s silver medal was its first in the event since 1928, while Brazil had never won a team medal before.

“We have yet to realize what that means,” said Italian Alice D’Amato when asked about the second-place finish.

The Brazilian team was the last to leave the arena floor. They lingered below the grandstand, and Andrade was even hoisted up by teammates so she could hug supporters hanging over the railing.

“It’s magical that we did it,” said Brazil’s Jade Barbosa. “It’s pure magic. Brazil wasn’t big in this sport. We had a lot of great individuals, but now we have a great group of gymnasts.“

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The Italian team finished with a score of 165.494 to better Brazil’s 164.497 after Angela Andreoli delivered a strong routine on floor.

“I knew that it was an important routine to be on the podium,” Andreoli said. “I was under pressure, but my partners were able to help me keep my cool.”

Brazil’s hopes for a podium finish were almost ruined before the competition started when Flavia Saraiva injured hurt her right eye during warmup.

“I could not see, it bled, but the team’s doctor told me everything was all right” Saraiva said. “I believe my knee hit my eye when I tripped. It’s not the first time it happens to me. Maybe I will need some stitches.”

With a bandage above her eye, Saraiva soldiered on. She was cautious on the bars and did not fall on the beam, then performed an easier version of her floor exercise and finished off her night with a strong vault.

“We are warriors,” Saraiva said.

Her teammate Andrade was excellent on the four apparatus, delivering superb layouts on the floor coupled with a 15.100 on the vault. If she performs at that level during Thursday’s all-around final, she could give Biles a run for gold.

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AP Olympics: https://apnews.com/hub/2024-paris-olympic-games

Olympic Hightlights

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FILE - South Africa’s Jacques Freitag competes in the men’s high jump of the 2004 Olympic Games, in the Olympic Stadium in Athens, Friday Aug. 20, 2004. Local media is reporting that South African police have discovered the body of former high jump world champion Jacques Freitag after he went missing last month. The reports said the 42-year-old, who won the 2003 world title in Paris and competed at the 2004 Olympics, had been shot. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip, File)

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FILE - Ilona Maher of USA is tackled by Sharni Williams of Australia in a semifinal of the Rugby World Cup 7’s championship held in Cape Town, South Africa, Sunday, Sept. 11, 2022. The main task for Maher, the breakout social media star on TikTok at the Tokyo Olympics, is winning a medal in Paris. (AP Photo/Halden Krog, File)

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FILE - Jacques Freitag of South Africa waves his national flag after he won the Men’s high jump event at the World Athletics Championships, at the Stade de France in Saint Denis, north of Paris, Monday, Aug. 25, 2003. Local media is reporting that South African police have discovered the body of former high jump world champion Jacques Freitag after he went missing last month. The reports said the 42-year-old, who won the 2003 world title in Paris and competed at the 2004 Olympics, had been shot. (AP Photo/Thomas Kienzle, File)

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Sammy Sullivan of USA in action during HSBC rugby sevens series in Singapore, on May 4, 2024. The anthem played as Army officer Sammy Sullivan stood to attention and saluted beside her U.S. rugby teammates before a gold-medal game in Hong Kong against Olympic champion New Zealand. No prizes for guessing where her mind may have drifted to: Paris in July. (AP Photo/Suhaimi Abdullah)

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USA Water Polo Women’s Senior National Team attacker Ryann Neushul, left, trains at Long Beach City College Thursday, Jan. 18, 2024, in Long Beach, Calif. Following in the footsteps of two older sisters who won gold with the U.S. women’s water polo team, Ryann Neushul is making her Olympic debut in Paris this summer. (AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes)

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Iranian wrestler Iman Mahdavi, 28, practices at the Lotta Club Seggiano gym, in Pioltello , northern Italy, Wednesday, Feb. 28, 2024. (AP Photo/Luca Bruno)

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FILE - Steven van de Velde of the Netherlands competes during the CEV Beach Volley Nations Cup Vienna 2022 men’s semifinal game against Austria at the Red Bull Beach Arena in Vienna, Austria, Sunday, Aug. 7, 2022. Van de Velde, convicted and imprisoned eight years ago for raping an underage girl in England has qualified for the Paris Olympics. (AP Photo/Florian Schroetter, File)