Here’s The Dazzling Beam Routine That Got Laurie Hernandez To Finals

Laurie Hernandez may be the youngest member of the U.S. women’s gymnastics team and a first time Olympian, but the 16-year-old is showing no sign of nerves. 

The New Jersey-native qualified second to the balance beam final on Sunday with a score of 15.366, only bested by gymnastics juggernaut Simone Biles who scored a 15.633. 

The entire USA Gymnastics Team shined bright at the Rio Olympics this weekend, with at least one gymnast from the team qualifying for every single event final. Biles and Aly Raisman both qualified for the all-around final.

Hernandez was not eligible to qualify for the all-around final after Marta Karolyi, U.S. gymnastics national team coordinator, made a line-up decision that left her out of the uneven bars event. Gymnasts must attempt all four gymnastics events ― floor exercise, balance beam, uneven bars and vault ― to qualify for an all-around medal.

The move was controversial, since Hernandez finished second to Biles at the all-around competition in Olympic trials. But on Monday, USA Today reported that a pulled abdominal muscle at least partly contributed to the decision of having Hernandez sit out the uneven bars. 

“Always we have to take tough decisions, unfortunately,” Karolyi said, according to the paper. “If I looked at the two girls, Aly showed more difficulty in her gymnastics and she was in her very best shape. It came down to that event.”

Still, Hernandez has a chance at a medal at the balance beam final on Aug. 15. Watch her impressive skills on the beam in the video above. 

For more Olympic coverage:

Meet The Badass 16-Year-Old Boricua Repping The U.S. At The Olympics

USA Gymnastics Team Utterly Annihilates In Qualification Round

Here’s The Real Reason We Love Watching Olympic Gymnastics

How To Sound Like You Know Your Stuff While Watching Olympic Gymnastics