repeatedly called the best day of her 19-year-old life,

RIO DE JANEIRO -- So this is what the year-in, year-out relentless talking about chasing perfection that starts at the top with Martha Karolyi and trickles on down to every gymnast on the five-woman U.S. Olympic team can do: Sometimes, crazy as it sounds, the idea actually does start animating every goal, permeating everyones thoughts, shaping what their dreams look like, until they get to the point where here they are in Rio, and near-perfection is literally, actually coming true.With three days down in the Olympic womens gymnastics competition and three days of individual events to go, the U.S. team is halfway to a perfect sweep of all six of the available gold medals that will be awarded here in Rio, a pie-in-the-sky sounding thought that nobody was really talking that much about before these Games began.Now look: The U.S. defended its team gold on Tuesday. Simone Biles and Aly Raisman finished 1-2 in the individual all-around on Thursday night, extending the American teams hold on that title to four straight Olympics.Biles -- already the most decorated female gymnast in history - has also qualified first for the individual events finals in the vault, floor exercise and beam and could take gold in all three. Teammate Madison Kocian has the highest qualifying score in the remaining event, the uneven bars, where shes a reigning world co-champion, and Gabby Douglas qualified third-best in that event, just a tenth of a point behind her. If Biles would falter on floor or beam, Raisman and Laurie Hernandez were the second-best qualifiers on those events behind her, respectively.But could they really run the table? Finish perfect? Pull off a clean sweep of six golds in six events?That would just be crazy, Biles admitted.Notice she also didnt rule it out.Its mind over matter, Raisman said, describing her philosophy about she frames whats possible and how she navigates doubt. If you believe you can or you cant, you probably will.Both of them looked a little weary Friday morning when they met the press. The wakeup call and ride to the Olympic main press center for their 9:30 a.m. session with Kocian, Douglas and Hernandez had to feel like it came early for them. It was the morning after an emotional night that Biles repeatedly called the best day of her 19-year-old life, but now the just-crowned Olympic all-around champion sat on the edge of the dais, trying to stay off her feet. Down the line, Raisman was re-living what she called her redemptive performance for the silver medal and how gratified she felt about her 4-for-4 night without a bobble in her routines, but she also sat in a chair, conserving energy.If they were exhausted, they wouldnt admit it.I think if you ask [multi-event swimmer] Michael Phelps, he would say the same thing -- you know you have less left to do, so you just keep going, said Biles.If Biles, the reigning three-time world champion, does sweep all three of her remaining events, and Kocians, Hernandezs, Raismans and Douglas coming performances match their qualifying scores, the U.S. team could walk away from these Olympics with a total of 14 medals scattered among the five-woman team. Thats extraordinary.So far, they have hit all 20 routines theyve thrown. If they go 7-for-7 in the coming three days, pushing them to 27-for-27 at this competition, that Final Five nickname theyve chosen for themselves -- partly as an homage to 73-year-old Karolyi, who is retiring after Rio -- might seem too pedestrian to capture it all.It could be a long time before the sport sees a team as deep and talented and immune to pressure as this team has been.Told Friday they are making this look easy, Biles -- ever the cold-eyed pragmatist -- looked at the TV reporter who made the statement and said, Well, thats our job, crinkling her nose a little as if its so obvious. If we make it look tough, she added, I think it would be a problem.Everyone laughed.Raisman is right, of course, to say the teams relentless pursuit of perfection is a mindset as much as happy accident of timing that put them all together like this at the same time and place in history. Both she and Aimee Boorman, Biles coach, have paid homage again and again the past two days to Karolyis tone-setting guidance. Boorman told a story about how when Biles got to the beam Thursday night, the most landmine-strewn of all the events, and she was trailing Russias Aliya Mustafina by a few tenths, I was thinking, JUST DONT FALL Boorman admitted. But Simone just looked at me and said, I got this. Thats something Martha does such a great job with them. She teaches them that attitude throughout their training. She tells them, How many times have you done these sets?Now theyre at the point they repeat it all reflexively -- the mantra, their sets, the all-for-one attitude that Karolyi also insisted on. As Mihai Brestyan, Raismans longtime personal coach, said, You have all the time the biggest expectations. But then here, you seen its happening! As Raisman finished her final event, the floor, Thursday night, she could see him out of the corner of her eye, pumping his fists and starting to cry.After the medals by Biles and Raisman were won, it was actually a little humorous Thursday night to see Karolyi -- ever the teacher, forever a coach -- lingering in the nearly empty mixed-zone press area long after the all-around event was over, energetically explaining the perfection mantra to an overseas TV crew who asked her how the U.S. program became this good. It was like watching a preacher who loves to spread the Word. The longer Karolyi has preached chasing perfection, the more it has seemed to come true. Sixteen years ago when she started imprinting the idea on the drifting U.S. program, it seemed like a buzzword shed dusted off from the days she coached Nadia Comenci to a gold medals and perfect 10s at the 1976 Games. No one says that anymore.Karolyi likes to say, Perfection is an attitude, not just an act. 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Cairns Taipans have launched an appeal against the NBLs decision to award Brisbane victory after their match on Sunday was abandoned with just over a minute to go due to a blackout.Obviously there are lots of consequences, a loss, points spreads, the series. It could have a massive impact down the stretch, Taipans coach Aaron Fearne said.We have the ability to appeal and that is what we will be doingThe Taipans were trailing by eight points with 1:37 remaining in the game when the Cairns CBD suffered a blackout, plunging the Convention Centre into darkness.Officials tried desperately to restore power, but after half an hour the decision was made to abandon the match.Under FIBA rules, if a match is unable to be completed for any reason, the team that holds the lead is awarded the victory.The NBL has confirmed it will conduct a full review into the appeal on Monday.Bullets coach Andrej Lemanis wasnt overtly pleased, but couldnt begrudge the outcome.Well wait and see what happens with that (Cairns appeal), but the rulles are the rules.dddddddddddd I dont make them so well take the win no problems, he saidIts unusual, when youve been around for a while you feel like youve gone through a few situations, but this one is unique,It feels hollow but I think we were playing well enough, my confidence is we were going to win that game anyway.Fearne admitted it would have taken something special to turn the match around in the time remaining, but he would have backed his men to do it.We would have had to make some huge plays, but Ive been involved in some games where that is exactly what we did, Fearne said.Bullets import Torrey Craig, whose first game against his former club was overshadowed by the drama, said it was just good fortune the lights had cut out when they did.I thought they were going to turn back on to be honest, but it is what it is, Im happy we had the lead when the power went out. Craig said. ' ' '