SANTIAGO, Chile (AP) — U.S. gymnast Jordan Chiles has dreamed about being a flagbearer at a major sports event since she saw her friend Simone Biles do it at the Rio de Janeiro Olympics closing ceremony. The 22-year-old managed to get her wish at the opening of the Pan American Games in Santiago on Friday.
On Sunday, the silver medalist at the Tokyo Olympics is getting to chance to make another dream come true; leading the U.S. women's gymnastics team into a continental final. She will know in a few hours whether that effort will turn into gold.
The U.S. topped first half of the all-round women's competition with 165.196 points, with a big push from Chiles as the Americans seek their sixth straight women’s team Pan American gold medal.
The main rival for Chiles, Kayla DiCello, Zoe Miller, Kaliya Lincoln and Tiana Sumanasekera is Brazil's team led by Rebeca Andrade, an Olympic gold medalist and also a friend of Biles'.
Brazil, Canada, Chile and Puerto Rico will take the stage later Sunday.
Chiles topped the all-round chart in the afternoon with 54.666 points, 0.101 ahead of 2021 world all-around bronze medalist DiCello.
The 22-year-old American is competing in Chile as she weighs competing in the Paris Olympics or returning for her junior year at the University of California at Los Angeles.
Possibly the biggest star competing in Chile, the 24-year-old Andrade is Brazil’s most decorated gymnast in history and is competing at the Pan American Games for the first time.
Earlier this month, Andrade defeated Biles to take the vault gold at the world championship in Antwerp. She won two medals at the Tokyo Olympics three years ago: gold in the vault competition and silver in the all-round individual. She has nine medals in world championships, including three golds.
After beating Biles, the U.S. gymnastics federation published a picture of Andrade and Biles side by side in its social media channels. “Many more battles still to come,” the message said.
This Sunday, Andrade's battle will be with Chiles instead.
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