Five things we learned in Rio Olympic gymnastics

American Simone Biles won a record-equalling fourth women's gold as Kohei Uchimura's Japan toppled China in men's gymnastics. Here are five things we learned from the gymnastics at the Rio Olympic Arena:

- Nobody's perfect -

Simone Biles came to Rio riding high with a record ten world titles and favourite to become the first woman to bag five Olympic gold medals. The 19-year-old Texan was floating on air as she leapt to gold in the team, all-around and vault, until a slip on the beam landed her with bronze. She bounced back to finish off with a record-equalling fourth gold on the floor ahead of US teammate Aly Raisman, even if her trademark acrobatic style was not to the taste of all. "I was sitting beside Nadia (Comaneci). She agreed with me that gymnastics has lost a bit of its character," said gymnastics chief Bruno Grandi. Forty years ago Comaneci became the first woman to score a perfect 10.0. "Nadia was perfection. Biles is a phenomenen. It's acrobatics. For me the gymnastics of the second American (Raisman) was more artistic." The American women had their most successful Olympics ever with the US team finishing top of the medals table in Rio with 12 -- four gold, six silver and two bronze.

- Uchimura on Tokyo 2020 express -

Japanese star Kohei Uchimura became the first artistic gymnast in 44 years since compatriot Sawao Kato to successfully win back-to-back Olympic all-around titles, also completing his personal collection of titles as he helped Japan take team gold ahead of two-time winners China. Victory put Japan back on top of the podium for the first time since 2004 with a seventh gold in an event the country dominated through five Olympic Games in the 1960s and 1970s. At 27 years the six-time world all-around champion's longevity looks undiminished with a fourth Olympics at Tokyo 2020 looming. "I can't put into words how I managed to maintain the level of supremacy. I have simply pushed and pushed. The next Olympics is in Tokyo so I firmly believe that we can win again." Japan were third on the medals table with Kenzo Shirai winning the men's vault bronze, but their women went home empty handed -- finishing fourth in the team event. "The last time we had this good of an outcome was decades ago. It's amazing," said Asuka Teramoto.

- Chinese 'robots' off synch -

It was a miserable Olympics in Rio for China's once-powerful gymnastics team who failed to take a gold for the first time since 1984 -- winning two team bronze -- and for the first time failing to get an individual Olympic medal. There were tears in the mixed zone as China failed to defend any of their titles from London 2012, although their women returned to the team podium with bronze. "They've remained trapped in a robotic style of training," said FIG president Bruno Grandi. "They're beginning to change a bit now. Those who have kept pace with the changes are the Japanese." Controversy has often surrounded the age of the Chinese women in previous Olympics. "Chinese athletes are small. Maybe we look young but we're not that young," insisted Shang Chunsong, 20, when asked about her teammates who looked pre-adolescent. "The youngest member of the US team (Lauren Hernandez) is actually younger than all of us."

- Whitlock lifts Britain -

Max Whitlock claimed a double gold on floor and pommel horse and a bronze in the all-around to put Britain top of the men's table in Rio. It was the most successful Games for the British gymnasts with Louis Smith riding to silver on pommel horse. Amy Tinkler, 16, the youngest member of the 366-strong British delegation, produced a nerveless performance to finish with a flourish behind Biles and Raisman in the women's floor event. Nile Wilson took bronze on the horizontal bar, with even Bryony Page bouncing her way into history with a first Olympic trampoline medal for a haul of seven gymnastics medals in Rio.

- 'Don't look' gymnastics hurts

"Don't look, don't look," whispered competitors as French gymnast Samir Aït Saïd lay motionless with the lower part of his leg dangling after it snapped in two places after a bad vault landing. "There's always more difficult, higher risk. It's getting dangerous," said Germany's Fabian Hambuechen, who went on to win horizontal bar gold. "I'm the guy who still loves the 10.0. The new system is pushing people and making it dangerous." Former Soviet gymnast Nellie Kim, a five-time Olympic gold medallist and president of the FIG technical committee, defended the system. "We've had this discussion since Olga Korbut in 1972 did a back salto (somersault) for the first time on balance beam and everybody thought it was so dangerous we should not do this. But now we do a double salto with double pirouette, the men are trying the triple salto with a jump -- we cannot stop development, as in everything in this life."