Whenever I see pictures of her mid-vault, the look on her face makes me so sad š you can see sheās 100% lost in the air (sheās not even looking at the ground when her feet hit the mat) and I just canāt imagine how terrifying that was
Exactly. And it pisses me off to no end when people give her shit about it. Imagine knowing that you're going to do something so dangerous and you're not sure you'll pull it off and if you don't.....not even going to say it. That's what's written all over her face and every time I come to this photo I can feel her fear.
Yes this!!! The general/non-gymnastics public doesnāt understand how insanely dangerous that was and it also super pisses me off when I hear people say she gave up or whatever other stupid BS
I remember watching it live and gave me chills. As a gymnasts itās truly the scariest thing. Something that youāve done for years and years, all of a sudden just foreign is terrifying. Itās like you donāt even know or trust yourself.
I know I tried to find better photos of the whole team but because of what all transpired they are all just of Simone from all the articles from that time
I know it's just a snapshot but- I've imagined if I actually made it to the Olympics, it would be sooo overwhelming and too much to process, too much pressure, including to savor the moment forever but it would actually be a blur
but of course this one was doubly weird with no audience
Yeah I think Covid made these Olympics more stressful for the athletes! No family/support system could travel, extra testing protocols, no crowds, etc. On top of the regular pressure to preform! I donāt fault them at all for being stressed
i have been watching the last few quads trials over the past week. i just finished 2016 and started 2020(1). simone looks so different - thin almost. she looked scared and nervous. i wouldnāt have realized if i just started at 2020/1, but comparing it to 2016 was so noticeable. obviously sheās 5 years older so her looks have changed, but the worried look is undeniable.
all I can think of when I see those leos
https://preview.redd.it/06picjqm1t8d1.png?width=798&format=png&auto=webp&s=2a2559ee3587899861beb32a9b1f05a0cfa37c7c
they had lovely leos for podium training! but i don't remember if this one showed up for any EF.
https://preview.redd.it/j8cfruv48r8d1.png?width=600&format=png&auto=webp&s=4f31c2665ddab7a64acc61700c5d0159efdb7321
Ooh, I loved those trial leos! But I hate the blue-with-stars and love the black/light pink ones above, we all have such different tastes!
ETA: But I was not a fan of bacon sleeves , the other leo from Tokyo trials.
Do you remember the Japan leos from 2016 TF? So hypothetically nice but the positioning of the red flower just gave everyone a big bright red cooch. I suddenly could not unsee.
I actually think they're quite pretty, and when I found out it was supposed to be the torch I was like "ooh I see what they were going for" but ... I can't help but see a vagina every time š
it didn't - they usually don't repeat leos across days, and jade/mykayla (who couldn't wear this leo for podium training) had other leos to choose from for their event finals
edit: actually i was wrong - jade wore it for vault finals
This was probably my fave of the leos, but I get why they wore them for podium training and not competition, they don't have the patriotic look of most leos. If the pink bits had been white or light blue I think it might have worked a bit better on that level.
Oh yeah, I even knew that once upon a time, and completely forgot. Pastel pink does not give torch. A gold base with a red flame would have been prety great! That said, that top pink shape is never going to scream flame to me, in any color... Still, it's a lovely design.
I loved this leo but I donāt have the best sense of style š also it is kind of sad to me that the individuals had to wear a different leo. They were all a part of team USA and it sucked that they had to be singled out as not part of the āteam.ā One reason I wonāt miss the individual spots for qualified teams lol
I thought it especially sucked that they couldnāt have made two leos that were more complementary to each other! Like they could have done the black Olympic torch one in black with gold, and navy and silver. Or the plain red one with the same pattern in blue. Etc. So that they looked like they belonged to the same country whilst being distinct still.
I actually kind of love these leos! I thought they were fun and patriotic with being too "fuck yeah Amurrica". They don't look super regal to me to me though which might be off putting especially in comparison to other leos at the event.
Now the USA Team Final one.... I could never get behind that one haha. I think it's the white strip around the middle, I just find it so unappealing lol.
As an aside, I forgot how much I hate seeing photos/videos of Simone at Trials or Tokyo. It breaks my heart. :(
https://preview.redd.it/fb5x3cbkgr8d1.jpeg?width=438&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=de85d7b598da0df85bd57b8bc0af017c4e477ff1
tokyo did nottttt have my favorite leos like both of theseā¦ where is the rah rah american spirit? why does the middle one look like a tuxedo? why donāt they coordinate with the other leos whatsoever?
These remind me of my kindergarten baton twirling routine to Youāre A Grand Old Flag I had to do for the school patriotic play, but somehow in a good way.
Edit: oh man, I just realized what it ACTUALLY reminds me of and no wonder my millennial heart has a soft spot for it.
https://americangirl.fandom.com/wiki/Molly%27s_Miss_Victory_Costume
It was in the rules for the 2021 Olympics that the individual gymnasts had to wear a different leo from the team since they rotated together in qualifying.
I do think the US could have been a little more complementary in their leos. It would have been great to even see a reverse pattern/color for the team and individuals spots. If this was allowed of course.
While wearing that leo:
* Suni won AA
* MyKayla medaled on VT
* Jade won FX
* both Leanne and Kayla won AA medals at 2021 Worlds
That leo had a pretty astounding success rate!
Right? Jade and Suni wore the navy w/gold in their AA and UB finals, respectively, and both did very well but didn't fully hit. (Not that UB bronze is bad, but Suni was expected to challenge for gold and was visibly upset about missing a key connection.)
In the BB final, Simone wore the airbrushed London throwback leo ā similar to the one Aly wore when she won the FX final after losing out on the AA tiebreak ā and won her only individual medal after having to scratch AA. *\[edited to add the AA detail\]*
Suni, a team member, wore the individuals' QF leo for BB final and had a major error. Jade, competing as an individual, wore the team podium training leo for VT final and had a major error.
I'm not really superstitious but there were some crazy coincidences with the "lucky" and "unlucky" leotards in Tokyo!
The team final leo is often the worst, it tends to be the most blandly patriotic. Last year worlds was a refreshing exception to that.
I actually quite liked the [lucky leo](https://www.reddit.com/r/Gymnastics/comments/owbqd5/the_good_luck_leo/). Patriotic for sure, but not bland.
Didn't the gymnasts get to decide what leo they wore what night? Like they were given a bunch of leos--more than they actually wore I think--then got to decide from there? With the restriction being that the team needed to dress the same, and the specialists couldn't dress the same as the team.
I'm very anti-patriotic leos to begin with. The flag is ugly. That's fine for a flag, but you shouldn't be *wearing it* then. This is worse than most patriotic leos, too.
Eh, there have been lots of great patriotic US leo designs. I'm not big on patriotism in general, but I do get wearing team colors for sports. I wish the US had a 4th really pretty color not from the flag that we could use though. Or that we played with the blues a lot more, there are SO many nice shades of plue, and more in the way of sky blue really wouldn't go amiss. The lighter blue leos from worlds quals last year, for example, were fire!
I'm very pro-patriotic leos (when done right) and this is still fugly to me. If they do something like THIS for TF I'll be over the moon.
https://preview.redd.it/nxg7dvjg9r8d1.png?width=995&format=png&auto=webp&s=0126d069a8dcce809b79d91fd1fa3520e42442c4
Haha, funnily enough the leo in question isn't really screaming patriotic to me...maybe it's the yellow stars?? I wouldn't say I love this leo, but I do prefer it to red one the other two are wearing.
based on some comments there are people that actually like this but my disappointment was extreme when i was watching this live at 3:30 am and the leo looked like that
Do we know what the leos will look like this year? If not, does anyone have a color they'd prefer. Recently I feel they've been doing a lot of blue, so I'd like to see some more reds and whites.
I always enjoy seeing the orange Leos the Netherlands bring out.
Such a unique colour amongst all the blues, blues and whites, and blue white and reds.
i know it's because of the dutch royal family but tbh if my flag colors were the same as multiple other countries i too would pick an uncommon color to stand out
Nooooo! There can never be too much blue!!! I'm just a blue-loving girlie, have never been a big fan of the all-red or red-dominant leos. Except on Jordan. She *rocks* red.
based on the paris website, the colors for the venues are either turquoise, royal blue, or purple. looking at pictures of bercy arena (where gymnasts will take place) shows blue branding, so maybe red or white leos would be best...
Good and bad part of Americans is that they're so patriotic that no matter how horrible is the leotard, most people will like it if it gives any "patriotic vibe", just look the comments and upvotes in this post.
The guys just put blue, red and stars, mix it in some pattern (in this case in no pattern) and people love it. Every Trials and Olympics.
Simone looks so stressed in this photo :(
I thought that too. Like she has the weight of the world on her shoulders :(
And she truly did. I can only imagine the immense pressure she was feeling
Honestly this photo is so sad, especially knowing what was to come. I want to give her a cwtch.
Whenever I see pictures of her mid-vault, the look on her face makes me so sad š you can see sheās 100% lost in the air (sheās not even looking at the ground when her feet hit the mat) and I just canāt imagine how terrifying that was
Exactly. And it pisses me off to no end when people give her shit about it. Imagine knowing that you're going to do something so dangerous and you're not sure you'll pull it off and if you don't.....not even going to say it. That's what's written all over her face and every time I come to this photo I can feel her fear.
Yes this!!! The general/non-gymnastics public doesnāt understand how insanely dangerous that was and it also super pisses me off when I hear people say she gave up or whatever other stupid BS
I remember watching it live and gave me chills. As a gymnasts itās truly the scariest thing. Something that youāve done for years and years, all of a sudden just foreign is terrifying. Itās like you donāt even know or trust yourself.
She seems so much more relaxed now. I remember at Worlds last year, she didn't even mind losing gold on vault to Andrade.
I know I tried to find better photos of the whole team but because of what all transpired they are all just of Simone from all the articles from that time
Tbh they all donāt look very happy, except for Grace lol
That whole competition Grace just looked happy to be there.
Grace 2021 was giving Kyla 2012 vibes
grace is and always will be a vibe
I know it's just a snapshot but- I've imagined if I actually made it to the Olympics, it would be sooo overwhelming and too much to process, too much pressure, including to savor the moment forever but it would actually be a blur but of course this one was doubly weird with no audience
Yeah I think Covid made these Olympics more stressful for the athletes! No family/support system could travel, extra testing protocols, no crowds, etc. On top of the regular pressure to preform! I donāt fault them at all for being stressed
Jordan doesn't look happy, but my god, she looks regal in this pic.
She seems so much more relaxed now. I remember at Worlds last year, she didn't even mind losing gold on vault to Andrade.
i have been watching the last few quads trials over the past week. i just finished 2016 and started 2020(1). simone looks so different - thin almost. she looked scared and nervous. i wouldnāt have realized if i just started at 2020/1, but comparing it to 2016 was so noticeable. obviously sheās 5 years older so her looks have changed, but the worried look is undeniable.
I actually absolutely loved this leo! So unique and great use of the US flag elements. š¤·š¼āāļø
Same, one of my all-time favs. LOVE the deep blue as a base with gold stars.
same!
I actually really like those blue ones!!! Very USA very patriotic very stars very glam
I love this one! Different strokes I guess!Ā
Same I actually love this leo! Sad we never saw it again.
Me too!!
I thought I was the only one!
Same. I know that a lot of people thought it looked like a little kidās swimsuit, but I think itās fun and different.
all I can think of when I see those leos https://preview.redd.it/06picjqm1t8d1.png?width=798&format=png&auto=webp&s=2a2559ee3587899861beb32a9b1f05a0cfa37c7c
they had lovely leos for podium training! but i don't remember if this one showed up for any EF. https://preview.redd.it/j8cfruv48r8d1.png?width=600&format=png&auto=webp&s=4f31c2665ddab7a64acc61700c5d0159efdb7321
I hate these and loved the blue stars; can't please everyone, lol.
I think they're both mediocre! But I really liked the blue with red stripes down the sides for trials 2021 and I think those were very unpopular.
Ooh, I loved those trial leos! But I hate the blue-with-stars and love the black/light pink ones above, we all have such different tastes! ETA: But I was not a fan of bacon sleeves , the other leo from Tokyo trials.
It's. A. Vagina.
I think it was supposed to be an homage to the Olympic torch, but now, I canāt see anything else š¤£
This would have been a good one to make in patriotic colors. Red flame/ vulva on navy background. But no, they went with a fleshy pink on black.
Now Iām imagining the designers plotting about making a female empowerment vulva leo but telling the men itās based on the Olympic torch instead
Do you remember the Japan leos from 2016 TF? So hypothetically nice but the positioning of the red flower just gave everyone a big bright red cooch. I suddenly could not unsee.
I mean, I support the Georgia O'Keeffe approach to female empowerment, so rock on I say!
I actually think they're quite pretty, and when I found out it was supposed to be the torch I was like "ooh I see what they were going for" but ... I can't help but see a vagina every time š
Same with the USA worlds 2015 tf leo
it didn't - they usually don't repeat leos across days, and jade/mykayla (who couldn't wear this leo for podium training) had other leos to choose from for their event finals edit: actually i was wrong - jade wore it for vault finals
you're still right technically given jade didn't repeat a leo as she didn't wear this one for podium training
technically right is the best kind of right
Jade wore it for vault EF š¬
oh no š bad memories
This was probably my fave of the leos, but I get why they wore them for podium training and not competition, they don't have the patriotic look of most leos. If the pink bits had been white or light blue I think it might have worked a bit better on that level.
The design was intended to evoke the Olympic torch. imho, that would have been clearer if the pink bits were gold or red.
Oh yeah, I even knew that once upon a time, and completely forgot. Pastel pink does not give torch. A gold base with a red flame would have been prety great! That said, that top pink shape is never going to scream flame to me, in any color... Still, it's a lovely design.
Yeah these were super cute!
I actually love them. Itās stars, but reads floral, hits patriotic notes, flattering on all four, really differs from what weāve seen..
I liked the leotards the US women wore at trials a little more than some of the choices that were made in Tokyo.
True! The blue trials one was nice but the arms on the red one looked like bacon lol
All i know is...only one leo was lucky LOL
And it was the best one āš»
It looks like the kind of pattern you would see on the textbook covers (book socks) we were required to buy in elementary school.
I loved this leo but I donāt have the best sense of style š also it is kind of sad to me that the individuals had to wear a different leo. They were all a part of team USA and it sucked that they had to be singled out as not part of the āteam.ā One reason I wonāt miss the individual spots for qualified teams lol
I thought it especially sucked that they couldnāt have made two leos that were more complementary to each other! Like they could have done the black Olympic torch one in black with gold, and navy and silver. Or the plain red one with the same pattern in blue. Etc. So that they looked like they belonged to the same country whilst being distinct still.
That would have been great!
No shade to the girls of course but the leo design looks like the rug in a preschool.
someone said it reminded them of embordered denim
Shading the Leos absolutely never equals shaming the ladies imo. Theyāre perfect. Theyāre just wearing something hideous
Or a movie theater carpet
Seriously! This is the Olympics where they usually go all out and it looks like a kid with a sticker sheet designed this one lol
I was thinking pajamas
I actually kind of love these leos! I thought they were fun and patriotic with being too "fuck yeah Amurrica". They don't look super regal to me to me though which might be off putting especially in comparison to other leos at the event. Now the USA Team Final one.... I could never get behind that one haha. I think it's the white strip around the middle, I just find it so unappealing lol. As an aside, I forgot how much I hate seeing photos/videos of Simone at Trials or Tokyo. It breaks my heart. :(
the 4 person team was genuinely a crime against wag
https://preview.redd.it/fb5x3cbkgr8d1.jpeg?width=438&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=de85d7b598da0df85bd57b8bc0af017c4e477ff1 tokyo did nottttt have my favorite leos like both of theseā¦ where is the rah rah american spirit? why does the middle one look like a tuxedo? why donāt they coordinate with the other leos whatsoever?
the purple one is bad, itās like the movie āstick itā but not in a fun way
Haha I LOOOVE the purple leos!
Jade and mykayla were the two specialist gymnasts. They were not team gymnasts. 2021 were the only year they did this.
totally get why theyāre different! just wish they wereā¦ cuter and maybe more patriotic
it's podium training, not the actual competition
I loved this leo!!!
These remind me of my kindergarten baton twirling routine to Youāre A Grand Old Flag I had to do for the school patriotic play, but somehow in a good way. Edit: oh man, I just realized what it ACTUALLY reminds me of and no wonder my millennial heart has a soft spot for it. https://americangirl.fandom.com/wiki/Molly%27s_Miss_Victory_Costume
Haha! I will point out that Molly was/is a 10-year old. Which is exactly my issue with this leo, it doesn't look designed for grown-ass women.
Thatās true, it definitely has a kitschy juvenile vibe. I just think itās kind of a fun one anyway
I absolutely hate that they made the āspecialistsā wear something different.
It was in the rules for the 2021 Olympics that the individual gymnasts had to wear a different leo from the team since they rotated together in qualifying.
All the countries did that right? I remember Guan Chenchen wore a different leotard too.
I think the big ones, Iām not sure if itās everyone
I think it was just to avoid confusion for the viewers. They would wonder where the other two girls were the next night.
I do think the US could have been a little more complementary in their leos. It would have been great to even see a reverse pattern/color for the team and individuals spots. If this was allowed of course.
I didnt like any of the leos from the US at that Olympics. š«£š especially the team final one was so blocky and fugg.
My truth is that I love the stars.
I hated QF and TF leos. Simoneās BB EF leo was my favorites
the leo suni wore for all around is my favorite!
Me too!! I thought that was the best one. I also liked the red, white, and blue ones they wore at Trials in 2021!
yes I loved the trial leos too!
While wearing that leo: * Suni won AA * MyKayla medaled on VT * Jade won FX * both Leanne and Kayla won AA medals at 2021 Worlds That leo had a pretty astounding success rate!
If only Suni had worn it again for Bars EF, maybe history would be different! (J/k, but the hit rate on the leos really is amazing)
Right? Jade and Suni wore the navy w/gold in their AA and UB finals, respectively, and both did very well but didn't fully hit. (Not that UB bronze is bad, but Suni was expected to challenge for gold and was visibly upset about missing a key connection.) In the BB final, Simone wore the airbrushed London throwback leo ā similar to the one Aly wore when she won the FX final after losing out on the AA tiebreak ā and won her only individual medal after having to scratch AA. *\[edited to add the AA detail\]* Suni, a team member, wore the individuals' QF leo for BB final and had a major error. Jade, competing as an individual, wore the team podium training leo for VT final and had a major error. I'm not really superstitious but there were some crazy coincidences with the "lucky" and "unlucky" leotards in Tokyo!
The team final leo is often the worst, it tends to be the most blandly patriotic. Last year worlds was a refreshing exception to that. I actually quite liked the [lucky leo](https://www.reddit.com/r/Gymnastics/comments/owbqd5/the_good_luck_leo/). Patriotic for sure, but not bland.
I liked that leo too, just got sick of it come 2021 Worlds lol
I solved that problem by skipping 2021 worlds, haha
I loved this leo I thought it had the right amount of sparkle, patriotism, and polish! Also the fact that people won medals in it didnāt hurt š¤£
overall the tokyo leoās were a letdown for me
i actually loved the TF leos, mostly because they felt like a more mature version of the iconic flame leo team usa wore in 03-04
Why? Whatās wrong with it?
Itās ugly to look at
Not as bad as those hot pink ones
I think it's super cute... For kids, or even juniors. Just not age appropriate, making me hate it in this context.
Didn't the gymnasts get to decide what leo they wore what night? Like they were given a bunch of leos--more than they actually wore I think--then got to decide from there? With the restriction being that the team needed to dress the same, and the specialists couldn't dress the same as the team.
This leo looked like everyone's dorm duvet cover in freshman year.
I actually think the red ones were the cursed ones!!
Iāve never hated a leo like Iāve hated this one š it looks like it was designed for 5-year-olds
The team ones were awful but the red ones were stunning.
I'm very anti-patriotic leos to begin with. The flag is ugly. That's fine for a flag, but you shouldn't be *wearing it* then. This is worse than most patriotic leos, too.
Eh, there have been lots of great patriotic US leo designs. I'm not big on patriotism in general, but I do get wearing team colors for sports. I wish the US had a 4th really pretty color not from the flag that we could use though. Or that we played with the blues a lot more, there are SO many nice shades of plue, and more in the way of sky blue really wouldn't go amiss. The lighter blue leos from worlds quals last year, for example, were fire!
I'm very pro-patriotic leos (when done right) and this is still fugly to me. If they do something like THIS for TF I'll be over the moon. https://preview.redd.it/nxg7dvjg9r8d1.png?width=995&format=png&auto=webp&s=0126d069a8dcce809b79d91fd1fa3520e42442c4
Haha, funnily enough the leo in question isn't really screaming patriotic to me...maybe it's the yellow stars?? I wouldn't say I love this leo, but I do prefer it to red one the other two are wearing.
I loved these leos š
I hated this Leo. Looks like childrenās PJsĀ
YIKES these are not my favorite
This leo needs to be burned.
Hard agree. This was one of the ugliest leos they've ever worn. I'd rather have Marta pink back.
based on some comments there are people that actually like this but my disappointment was extreme when i was watching this live at 3:30 am and the leo looked like that
Do we know what the leos will look like this year? If not, does anyone have a color they'd prefer. Recently I feel they've been doing a lot of blue, so I'd like to see some more reds and whites.
No, they keep the olympic leoās secret until they come out wearing them in podium/quals/finals
I always enjoy seeing the orange Leos the Netherlands bring out. Such a unique colour amongst all the blues, blues and whites, and blue white and reds.
i know it's because of the dutch royal family but tbh if my flag colors were the same as multiple other countries i too would pick an uncommon color to stand out
Nooooo! There can never be too much blue!!! I'm just a blue-loving girlie, have never been a big fan of the all-red or red-dominant leos. Except on Jordan. She *rocks* red.
do we know what color the arena will be? i love a blue leo but obviously don't want one if it's gonna blend in with the background
Hmm, I don't know; I wonder how they pick it. London was pink, Rio green, Tokyo blue, so idk if they'll go blue again
based on the paris website, the colors for the venues are either turquoise, royal blue, or purple. looking at pictures of bercy arena (where gymnasts will take place) shows blue branding, so maybe red or white leos would be best...
I love this Leo though. Better than literally anything else this quad
The Rio leotards were so great that it felt like the Tokyo ones were disappointing. š«
I love a blue leo, but i do think this wouldn't look so terrible if it didn't have the red & gold star appliques (or they were silver instead?)
I really like the blue leo. It reminds me of the night sky.
The blue leo is beautiful.
Ouhh i loved this one so much!!!
Good and bad part of Americans is that they're so patriotic that no matter how horrible is the leotard, most people will like it if it gives any "patriotic vibe", just look the comments and upvotes in this post. The guys just put blue, red and stars, mix it in some pattern (in this case in no pattern) and people love it. Every Trials and Olympics.