RIO DE JANEIRO -- In the midst of arguably their finest team performance in a quadrennium, a familiar nemesis provided the U.S. mens gymnastics team with a reminder that nothing comes easily.Especially on pommel horse. Especially at the Olympics.While having Chris Brooks and Sam Mikulak go spinning off pommels removed some of the sparkle of an occasionally spectacular Saturday during Olympic preliminaries, it also offered a reality check. As solid as the score of 270.405 points was -- second only to two-time defending champion China -- the Americans know it can be better during Mondays team finals.We just want to keep building momentum, Mikulak said. I think thats what today was, getting comfortable on the equipment and making a little bit of a statement. Hopefully that statement will carry over and we can carry that momentum to Monday.Four years ago in London, the Americans dominated qualifying only to slide to fifth with a medal on the line, a fall kickstarted by a forgettable set on pommels. China, which slogged to sixth in prelims, rebounded all the way to the top of the podium.Its a painful memory that remains fresh for the five men on Team USA, all of whom were involved on the 2012 team in some capacity. This group, they insist, is not that group. Theyre older. Wiser. And not so caught up in their own hype.We were just so pumped up about everything we might have just believed in ourselves that we might have already proven ourselves, Mikulak said. This time we all know thats not what were going to do. ... What happened today doesnt matter on Monday.Russia, Japan, Britain, Brazil, Ukraine and Germany all advanced to the eight-team final, though the sometimes giddy atmosphere -- punctuated by host Brazils euphoric breakthrough in front of a raucous home crowd during the opening session -- was tempered by sobering reminders of the sports ever present danger.French gymnast Samir Ait Said broke his left leg while trying to land a vault, the crack of the bone shattering upon impact with the mat echoing throughout the arena and the shocking images of Said holding it in his hands instantly going viral.It is catastrophic, French teammate Cyril Tommasone said.Andreas Tobas right knee buckled during his floor routine. While the German managed to compete on pommels, he watched the rest of qualifying in sweat pants with his right leg ramrod straight in a brace, his Olympics over.I cried like a little kid, Toba said. The injury on my knee is big, but the emotional injury is way bigger.Japans missteps were far less painful but nearly as startling. Nine months ago after ending Chinas long run at the top by surging to gold at the world championships, the Japanese looked a bit overcome by the stage at Rio Olympic Arena.Even typically poised and ever elegant defending Olympic champion Kohei Uchimura wasnt immune to the pressure.Looking for a gold medal to bookend the one he captured in London, he went sailing off the high bar -- an event where he is the reigning world champion -- and smacked onto the ground in shock. The miscue means hell miss the event final. It also cost him the top qualifying score in the all-around. Uchimuras score of 90.498 was second to Ukraines Oleg Verniaiev, one of the rare times Uchimura hasnt found himself looking down at the rest of the field.The scores will be reset in the individual all-around next Wednesday, though Uchimura is more concerned about getting his team mentally prepared for Monday night.We try to perform like the world championships, Uchimura said. But we know this is the Olympic Games and this makes us stressed out.The stress didnt get to China, which downplayed Japans rise at worlds and promised to be ready by Rio. The Chinese posted the top scores on parallel bars and still rings, their three near flawless sets on rings in the final rotation giving them just enough to edge the Americans.China delivering in the clutch is hardly new. It is new in Brazil, which made the team final for the first time, fueled by an arena that roared with every stuck landing.The highlight came during three-time Olympic veteran Diego Hypolitos floor exercise. After falling in the 2008 floor final and failing to make the event final in 2012 after a similar mistake, tears streamed down the 30-year-old Brazilians face after posting a 15.5, good enough for a spot in the floor final later in the games. Yet the tears were not for his score as much for his country.This was important for Brazil, it was about the team, Hypolito said. Ive been to three Olympics. This is something weve thought about for a long time. To perform like this, its a dream. Wholesale China Jerseys . "Four now," Carl Gunnarsson told the Leaf Report proudly following a 5-2 victory over New York on Tuesday night, the clubs fifth straight at home. Cheap Jerseys Online . It was the kind of score that might make everyone else wonder which course he was playing. Except that Graeme McDowell saw the whole thing. 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MacKinnons goal, also on the power play, came with just over a minute remaining.Ipswich Witches captain Danny King tells Sky Sports about the life of a speedway rider during the winter months... Having jetted around Europe, racing lap after lap of a speedway track for the best part of seven months, it is no surprise to hear that Danny King takes time to relax once the season has finished before turning his attention to the next campaign.I dont do much until Christmas, I try and have a bit of family time, said King, who also represents Coventry Bees. I try and sort my contracts out which is really important and which I have done this year. I always like to get that done before Christmas so I can relax and enjoy the festive season. Obviously you are keeping fit and training and once Christmas is out of the way I start my bike assembly.We are also jumping around speaking to sponsors and it goes really quick. I know its four months off, but I can assure you it does not feel like that. We are also jumping around speaking to sponsors and it goes really quick. I know its four months off, but I can assure you it does not feel like that. Danny King In the world of speedway, rule changes and poor performances can make it quite feasible for a team to change all seven riders from season to season, meaning a lot of movement in the winter transfer market, and the 29-year-old talks us through the process of sorting out contracts.Its different for everyone really, said King. Mostly clubs will phone you, some riders do have agents, so in that case they will phone them. Normally the club knows what riders want to go there and in return the rider knows what clubs want him to go there. Its quite clear really and then it is down to negotiations. A speedway rider must secure a new contract ahead of the new season You have a bit of say on where you go, but most of the time we have to wait for the AGM [Annual General Meetings] to finish because the promoters cant start building their team without knowing the team average and that sort of stuff. But if I wanted to go to another club, that cluub would have to get permission from my parent club to speak to me and once we had that we can sit down and open negotiations.ddddddddddddThere is a lot more to a speedway riders winter than sorting out club contracts. Essentially riders are a business, and like any other business they need as much income as possible to be able to run, which is where sponsors come in. The role of sponsorship can never be underestimated in the sport and the Ipswich rider explains how to obtain sponsorship and the difficulties he faces. Searching for sponsorship is also a regular task for King King said: Its one of the most difficult things in any sport - getting sponsorship. Its important they know what they are getting in return. Its easy to go and get some sponsorship, get some money and never contact them again.I like to invite them down to meetings throughout the year. We put them in hospitality boxes and try to support them in that way, because without them it wouldnt happen. Sponsorship is a huge part of any sport but especially speedway.Nine times out of 10 you hear about potential sponsors through word of mouth; someone who knows someone who likes their speedway and wants to get involved. If you are targeting companies that you know are not your normal speedway companies, like your bigger firms, then it is a case of writing to them.Despite the continuing stresses and strain during the off-season, King insists he would not swap his role as a rider. But the 29-year-old retains his desire to compete He said: Its the adrenalin side of things. Its a strange concept really, its a 500cc bike with no brakes on a fenced circuit. Its that risk factor, its the whole package of speedway. As for why we do it - I dont know, the best way to describe it, and Ive heard people say it before, is its like a drug, you get addicted.Once it is in the blood it is hard to get out. Once youve had a taste of speedway you want to keep going as long as you can. I feel very blessed that Im lucky enough to do it as a job and I want to keep going as long as I can. Wholesale Jerseys Wholesale Jerseys cheap jerseys Cheap Jersyes Cheap Basketball Jerseys Cheap NHL Jerseys cheap jerseys Cheap Jerseys Cheap Jerseys Cheap Jerseys From China Cheap NFL Jerseys ' ' '