You could tell from their reactions just how much the silver medal meant to the Italian gymnasts: Tears, embraces and hands over their mouths in disbelief.

It was a fitting response to winning your country’s first Olympic medal in the women’s gymnastics team event for 96 years, which is precisely what Manila Esposito, Alice D’Amato, Angela Andeoli, Giorgia Villa, and Elisa Iorio achieved on Tuesday night.

The Italian team scored a total of 165.494 across four apparatus at Paris’ Bercy Arena. A dominant US team led by Simone Biles finished well out in front with 171.296, and Brazil, winning its first ever team medal in gymnastics, took an historic bronze medal with 164.497.

“It was wonderful to win this silver medal,” D’Amato, part of the team which finished fourth in Tokyo three years ago, told reporters after the competition.

“To make it happen, we worked as a team. We did have some difficult moments at the end (on floor exercise), but we stayed together as a team. That helped us. We are very happy right now.”

Italy’s performance was highlighted by strong performances on the uneven bars – D’Amato received 14.633 and Iorio 14.266 – while Esposito top-scored for the team on vault with 14.166.

The 17-year-old Esposito did struggle on floor, receiving 12.666, but the team’s total was still enough to hold off Brazil, even with defending Olympic vault champion Rebeca Andrade scoring a huge 15.100 on her favorite discipline during the last rotation.

It never looked like any other team would contend with the US for the gold-medal position, but for Italy, crowned European team champions earlier this year, the silver medal delivers on the team’s pre-competition expectation having qualified in second place.

“(Being) second in qualification was a good thing, but also not a good thing,” D’Amato said, alluding to the added pressure that comes with a strong performance in qualifying.

“But we tried to stay concentrated, apparatus after apparatus. We tried not to think too much about it. In the end, we (managed) to realize our dream (of winning a medal).”

The silver was Italy’s 11th medal the Games, having also taken podium positions in the cycling road race, fencing, shooting, and swimming.

For Brazil, it was also an historic occasion having secured the country’s first ever women’s team medal.

“Twenty years ago, in Athens, Brazil made it to the Olympic team final for the first time in history. Twenty years later, we’re here with our first-ever Olympic team medal,” said Jade Barbosa.

“It’s a lot of hard work. But this is a generation that could make that happen. Everything worked out for us today, which is amazing.

“Everyone out here today only sees one day of our work and history. But only God sees everything that we’ve done, in and out of the gym, to be here.”

Attention now turns to the women’s all-around final, which takes place on Thursday, before the women’s individual events begin with the vault final on Saturday.