Having a built-in "best friend" in the sport appears to offer a
special competitive edge.
The probability of being a twin in the global population is
about 2%, but there are three sets of twins among the 12
four-athlete teams qualified for the women's artistic event.
The postponed Tokyo 2020 Games will be the second Olympics for
29-year-old Sanne and Lieke Wevers of the Netherlands.
Sanne is the reigning Olympic balance beam champion, beating out
U.S. favourites Simone Biles and Laurie Hernandez in Rio in 2016
with her unique composition of difficult spins and dance moves.
A last-minute hug from her sister moments before the final is
among Sanne's fondest memories of that day.
"When you have your best buddy with you at the moment you need
her the most, that really helped me losing some nerves," she
said in a video posted to her YouTube channel a year after her
victory.
Asia and Alice D'Amato, 18, will represent Italy after being
part of the bronze-medal team at the 2019 World Championships,
their country's first world medal in the team event since 1950.
The youngest twin artistic gymnasts at these Games at just 16
are Jessica and Jennifer Gadirova of Britain. Jessica, who took
home floor exercise gold at this year's European Championships,
has been training with her sister for a decade.
"It's like having a best friend with you 24/7," she told British
Gymnastics last week. Both sisters cite defending world and
Olympic all-around champion Biles as their idol.
The twin theme even extends to rhythmic gymnastics, where
Russians Dina and Arina Averina are favourites for the podium.
The 22-year-olds, who have 27 world championship medals between
them, say their differing personalities help each other excel.
"There has never been any competition between us. Quite the
opposite: we support each other," the twins said in 2019. "If
one doesn't succeed, then it is up to the other to hold up the
Russian flag."
Twins in Olympic gymnastics are less common than the Tokyo Games
might suggest, but among the most memorable pairs are Americans
Paul and Morgan Hamm. Paul won the all-around in Athens in 2004,
and both the brothers' efforts secured a team silver for the
United States.
(Editing by Karishma Singh)
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