Twins with the will to win feature of Tokyo Games

• Published date: 23 July 2021
• Publication title: Sports Tab

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 United States 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...