Tokyo Olympics: Why are US team gymnasts wearing different colours leotards?

Viewers noticed something different when the USA’s gymnastic team performed during the qualifiers at the Tokyo Olympics. Few gymnasts were wearing leotards in one colour, while others were wearing leotards of a different colour. The bifurcation looked intentional as Biles, Lee, Jordan Chiles and Grace McCallum wore blue leotards, while Carey and MyKayla Skinner wore the red coloured ones.

Laurie Hernandez, a former Olympic gold medallist, who is also commenting on the events for NBC in Tokyo, said that those who are competing in the team events are supposed to wear the blue leotards while those competing in the individual events will be wearing the red coloured leotards. She answered the question when a fan tagged her in a post regarding the same. 

USA’s performance till now

The start of the Tokyo Olympic Games was anything but perfect for the gymnastic team of the USA, but the teams are still competing strongly. Currently, after the qualifiers on Sunday, Biles lead other competitors by less than half a point in the all-around competition. Out of the top ten places, three of those are being occupied by athletes from Team USA. Except for Simone Biles, Sunisa Lee is currently in third place and Jade Carey is in 10th position.

The U.S. by default would have sent five women to the Olympics, instead of six. These five spots were determined by the Olympic Trials as four team members, and one individual event specialist is chosen. Carey confirmed her place in Tokyo before the Trials because of her exceptional display in the Apparatus World Cup Series during the last three years. To qualify, Carey needed to take part in the Olympic trials. She is a three-time World Championship silver medallist and won it twice for vault, and once for her floor routine. Mykala Skinner is also skilled at vault as her score at Olympic trials was higher than even that of McCallum's. However, McCallum’s score was higher on the uneven bars and on the floor. Later of Sunday, Simone Biles and Sunisa Lee advanced to the All-Around Final that will be played on Thursday, July 29.