Last Chance: Event Finals

 Did anybody notice that no other sport had it's very own theme song and special intro for it's TV coverage?  The husband didn't notice it either but I made sure to point it out.  I realize that I am totally biased but clearly gymnastics is awesome and I'm not just saying that.  The song is Home by Phillip Phillips and hearing it will always remind me of Fierce Five Olympic Gold.

Mckayla Maroney Vaults to win Silver [Photo Source:  NBCOlympics.com]

 Disappointed [Photo Source: NBCOlympics.com]

Vault
Everyone knows that Mckayla Maroney is the best vaulter in the world-maybe even of all time and that she was guaranteed a gold medal as long as she landed on her feet.  Her Vault got her on the Olympic team and is the only event she competed in London.  She soars above the vault higher then anyone else man or woman and her form is perfect.  She's just gifted with some natural talent when it comes to vaulting.   She got the gold medal at worlds last year but at the 2012 Olympic Vault finals...no dice.  You have to hit on the right day at the right time and shockingly she didn't.   She did her Amanar well enough with just one big step out of bounds then landed on her butt on her Mustafina vault.  It was good enough for Silver but not the Gold everyone including her knew she could get.  She couldn't hide the disappointment.  It was written all over her face.  She accepted a hug from Romanian winner Sandra Izbasa but did not accept one from Russian Maria Paseka who got the Bronze; it looked kind of awkward.  She seemed to be in a daze.  It's very sad that the best vaulter in the world doesn't have an Olympic gold medal.

GOLD- Sandra Izbasa-ROU- 15.191 (15.383, 15.000)
SILVER- McKayla Maroney-USA- 15.083(16.066, 14.300)
BRONZE-Maria Paseka-RUS-15.050(15.400, 14.700)
4.Janine Berger-GER- 15.016 (15.133, 14.900)
5.Oksana Chusovitina-GER- 14.783 (15.100, 14.466)
6.Yamilet Pena-DOM- 14.516 (14.566, 14.466)
7.Brittany Rogers-CAN- 14.483 (14.766, 14.200)
8.Elsabeth Black-CAN- 0.000 (0.000, 0.000)

Aliya Mustafina- Gorgeous bar routine [Photo Source:  NBCOlympics.com] 

Uneven Bars
This was a very deep field including two Chinese gymnasts who are very difficult to beat.  Aliya Mustafina was not intimidated and she did a beautiful bar routine with no mistakes.  Gabby Douglas was the only American to make finals.  There are so many amazing bar workers that I didn't expect that she would medal.  She probably would have needed someone to have a major break AND the best performance of her life in order to end up in the top three.  She had one error that most people wouldn't even notice when she had to add an extra 1/2 pirouette in to cover for falling the wrong way on a handstand and finished 8th.  Aliya flashed a sneaky smile when Gabby messed up and she knew for sure she'd get Gold and her teammate Russian Victoria Komova cried again when she clipped her legs on the low bar.  At age 27 Beth Tweddle from Great Britain got the home team it's only gymnastics medal on her best event.  And she finally earned herself the Olympic medal she was holding out for before retirement.

GOLD-Aliya Mustafina- RUS- 16.133
SILVER-He Kexin- CHN- 15.933
BRONZE-Beth Tweddle- GBR- 15.916
4.Yao Jinnan- CHN- 15.766
5.Viktoria Komova- RUS- 15.666
6.Elisabeth Seitz- GER- 15.266
7.Koko Tsurumi- JPN- 14.966
8.Gabby Douglas- USA- 14.800

Deng Linlin from China wins Gold [Photo Source:  NBCOlympics.com]

Balance Beam
I don't think I have ever wanted a gymnast to win a medal more then I wanted Aly Raisman to get one on beam.  There is something about her work ethic, fierce competitiveness and sweet personality that just makes me want to root for her.  She missed out on the All Around Bronze in a tie breaker.  Give the girl a medal!!  There were two Chinese gymnasts in the lead.  They own beam when they hit so after that it was basically a battle for 3rd.  Gabby Douglas fell off.  Russian Victoria Komova had a melt down falling off and then falling on her dismount.  She seemed to give up, but this time there were no tears.  I think she'd just had it.  Romanian Catalina Ponor did a decent routine but had some pretty big wobbles and a big step back on the dismount.  It was good enough for 3rd.  Then it was Aly's turn.  She had one slight wobble that seems to have lost her a connection but aside from a tiny hop on the landing it was a great routine.  The judges come back with a 14.966 placing her 4th which was ridiculous.  She hasn't scored that low since she's been in London and now they are going to low  ball her in event finals?  Her coach Mihai groaned.  You could see Bela and Marta gesturing in the stands that he should put in an inquiry.  Meanwhile, Aly being the good sport that she is offers Catalina a hug.  Her coach gets the paperwork and runs it to the head judge, there is a viewing of the replay and the passing of a paper to another table.  Nobody knows what's going to happen.  The arena is filled with tension, her parents look like they are about to pass out and everyone is staring at the scoreboard in confusion.  The judges increased her difficulty score so it went up to 15.066 but now it's a tie between Catalina and Aly for the Bronze!  Tie breaker math lost Aly the Bronze in the All Around but this time she won the tie Breaker with a higher execution score and got 3rd.  Whew!!  I was so happy for her her!! 

GOLD-Deng Linlin- CHN-15.600
SILVER-Sui Li- CHN- 15.500
BRONZE-Aly Raisman- USA-15.066
4.Catalina Ponor- ROU- 15.066
5.Kseniia Afanaseva- RUS- 14.583
6.Larisa Iordache- ROU- 14.200
7.Gabby Douglas- USA- 13.633
8.Viktoria Komova- RUS- 13.166

Aly Raisman nails Floor [Photo Source:  Getty Images @NBCOlympics.com]

Her 3rd Olympic Medal  [Photo Source:  Getty Images @NBCOlympics.com]

Floor Exercise
Aly had one more chance for an individual Gold Medal and with the highest difficulty of anyone in the finals it really was hers to take.  She nailed it with a 15.6; the highest score awarded so far on floor.  Nobody could even come close to touching her.  She may not be the most artistic gymnast but she wears you down with her consistency, she works with what she's got and she does it well.  After her All Around disappointment she ends up with the most medals out of all the Americans.  She put that Gold medal around her coaches neck as a show of appreciation.  How sweet is that? There was another tie breaker for the bronze.  This time tie breaker rules put Vanessa Ferrari of Italy in 4th and Aliya wins the bronze even though they had the same score.  Tie breakers are heart breakers for whoever loses out and I still don't understand why both can't get a medal if they are equal.  Why give out less medals when you can give out more?  Floor was Jordan Wieber's only chance for an individual medal.  She went out of bounds and sort of stumbled through her dance elements.  I've never seen her have a worse floor routine.  I felt so bad for her.  It hasn't been officially evaluated but she might have a stress fracture in her right leg.  It's been bothering her enough for her to not be at her best but not enough to keep her from competing.

GOLD-Aly Raisman- USA- 15.600
SILVER-Catalina Ponor- ROU- 15.200
BRONZE-Aliya Mustafina- RUS- 14.900
4.Vanessa Ferrari- ITA- 14.900
5.Lauren Mitchell- AUS- 14.833
6.Kseniia Afanaseva- RUS- 14.566
7.Jordyn Wieber- USA- 14.500
8.Sandra Izbasa- ROU- 13.333

I'd say it was a very successful Olympics for Team USA.  Maybe now that all this competition business is over the girls can relax and have some fun exploring London.  I'm not gonna lie.  I'm pretty sad that Olympic gymnastics is over.  It's been so awesome getting to watch the best gymnasts compete on TV night after night and I've really enjoyed watching their stories unfold.  There were tears, drama and so much controversy.  There is all kinds of hating and bashing going on around the interwebs.  Everything up to and including Gabby's hair, Team USA leotard selection, Russian divas, fake injuries, favoritism, score fixing and terrible NBC TV coverage is up for debate.  There are disagreements about unfair stupid rules and who "really" should have won.  When all is said and done the gymnasts competed their heart out, the judges made their decisions and medals were awarded.  They are all talented and deserving athletes and it's just too bad that everyone can't win.

Back to the Beginning: Team Qualifications

Precious Medal

They're so pretty!!  [Photo Source]  

I heard on the radio that Olympic Athletes owe $9,000 if they win a gold medal.  It didn't make sense to me that you could work your whole life to win a medal and then when you finally earn said medal you have to pay for it.  Is the gold medal really worth that much? 

The 2012 Olympic medals are 3.3 inches wide, 0.2 inches thick and weigh between 14-15 ounces.  According to CBSNews.com the gold medal is just over 1% real gold, 92.5% silver and 6.16 % copper and is worth about $644.  In the silver medal the gold part is replaced with more copper and is worth about $330.  The bronze medal is 97% copper, 2.5% zinc and 0.5% tin and is only worth about $4.70.  Obviously, the sentimental value and what they represent far outweighs their actual monetary value.  The taxes on the $5-$600 medal itself can't be all that much so where did a number like $9,000 come from?

Olympic athletes are compensated for winning medals.  The United States Olympic Committee pays $25,000 for a Gold medal, $15,000 for a Silver medal and $10,000 for a Bronze. This money can be even be accepted by amateur athletes without compromising their College eligibility.  And that's what they owe major taxes on.  Is there nothing sacred?  The government gets a cut of everything!  The IOC doesn't have have to pay them to make them want to win medals, but it's gotta be a nice bonus.  Especially for those athletes that don't do money maker sports like Basketball or Tennis.  This is their big chance to finally earn some money after years and years of sacrifice and expensive training costs.

If you are already rich like Michael Phelps or going to be rich like Gabby Douglas then you can probably afford to come up with the tax money that's owed.  If not, I say don't spend it all in one place.  The $25K might only be $16K after taxes which is kind of sad, but at least you'd have the money to pay up without the IRS coming after you.

Gabby Got Gold

Cha Ching!  This is what happens when you win the AA Olympic Gold [Photo Source-USAGymnastics.com]

What can I say?  The girl is good.  She took the lead after vault and never looked back.  She is a totally changed gymnast from last year.  She was consistent from start to finish.  Even the Russian ballerina gymnast Victoria Komova couldn't stop her.  There was another staring contest with the scoreboard.   All eyes were on it awaiting the results.  Victoria had her hands crossed tightly in front of her chest and with her eyes you could just see her silently begging for first.  She narrowly missed out on a Gold medal to Jordan Wieber at last years Worlds and when it happened again she burst into tears.  Gabby's wins her first AA title at the Olympics.  Not too shabby.

Standing full twisting back tuck on beam [Photo Source:  NBCOlympics.com]

I felt so bad for Aly.  She hit every single routine for her team but when it was time to do it for herself she put her hands on the beam and almost fell off which was her first real mistake of the Olympics.  Aliya Mustafina actually did fall off beam.  She's a beautiful gymnast. Having come back from an ACL tear just last year she has to be happy with 3rd even though those Russians want nothing less then Gold.  I would have loved to see two Americans on the podium and Aly was totally capable of it but as we've seen it only matters what you do on that one specific day in that one specific moment.  The worse thing about it is that as you can see from the results below Aliya and Aly actually tied in the AA.  Nastia Liukin lost out on a Gold Medal on bars in 2008 with FIG tie breaker math and now it's Aly on the wrong side of the mathematical equation.  They did some funny formula where whoever had the highest execution and difficulty total on 3 events with their lowest event score dropped got the medal.  Why can't they both just get the bronze?  I'm not sure why it makes sense that this formula is the best way to determine who gets to stand on the podium but as we saw when Jordan didn't qualify for All Around finals due to the 2 per country technicality, rules are rules.  No matter how unfair they might seem.

Golden Girls:  Mary Lou, Gabby, Carly and Nastia [Photo Source:  USAGymastics.com]

Mary Lou Retton won it in 1984, Carly Patterson won it in 2004 and Nastia Liukin won it in 2008.  With that win Gabby Douglas becomes the 4th ever and the 3rd American Olympic All Around Gold Medalist in a row.  She's also the first ever African American to win it.  If she didn't know that moving away from home to train and dedicating her life to gymnastics was the right choice she certainly knows it now.  Her sacrifice has paid off big time and her life is forever changed.  Seriously, how did they get that Corn Flakes box made so fast?  Maybe the whole team will get the Wheaties box!  Not only is she going to be able to cash in on some major endorsements but she has the satisfaction of working hard for a dream and achieving it.  I can't take credit for noticing this on my own but all the letters in Gabby's last name Douglas actually spell out USA Gold when you re arrange them.  Guess it was meant to be.

Based on NBC's coverage you'd never know it but there were actually 24 and not just 5 gymnasts in the competition.  Here are the results.

WOMEN'S ALL AROUND
1. Gabby Douglas (USA)- 62.232 (GOLD)
2. Viktoria Komova (RUS)- 61.973 (SILVER)
3. Aliya Mustafina (RUS)- 59.566 (BRONZE)
4. Aly Raisman (USA)- 59.566
5. Sandra Izbasa (ROM)- 58.833
6. Deng Linlin (CHN)- 58.399
7. Huang Qiushuang (CHN)- 58.115
8. Vanessa Ferrari (ITA)- 57.999
9. Larisa Iordache (ROM)- 57.965
10. Elisabeth Seitz (GER)- 57.365

11. Asuka Teramoto (JPN)- 57.332

12. Celine van Gerner (NED)- 57.232

13. Rebecca Tunney (GBR)- 56.932

14. Giulia Steingruber (SUI)- 56.148

15. Emily Little (AUS)- 55.765

16. Rie Tanaka (JPN)- 55.632

17. Dominique Pegg (CAN)- 55.565

18. Jessica Lopez (VEN)- 55.5

19. Marta Pihan Kulesza (POL)- 55.465

20. Ashleigh Brennan (AUS)- 55.332

21. Carlotta Ferlito (ITA)- 55.098

22. Ana Sofia Gomez Porras (GUA)- 54.899

23. Aurelie Malaussena (FRA)- 50.166

24. Hannah Whelan (GBR)- 41.999

Next Up: Event Finals

The Fierce Five is Golden!!

What am I loving on Wednesday?  Duh.  Gymnastics.  They women won Gold in the team competition for the first time since 1996.  There was the Magnificent Seven and now there is the Fab Five.  And fabulous they were.  They beat Russia by 5 points.   They nailed everything.  It was just such a beautiful sight to see.  Aly started crying right in the middle of her last split jump before she even finished her routine.  They joined hands and all eyes were glued on that scoreboard waiting for the final results to flash. The Russians cried tears of defeat, the Americans cried tears of joy and I cried too.  If Mj hadn't been sitting beside me I probably would have been bawling but I held it back.  It was good to see Jordan smiling and so happy after being so devastated two days ago.  And who would have ever thought Gabby Douglas would be the only Team USA gymnast to do All Around?  I never thought I'd see her in a team final on beam but it looks like things have clicked and she's got it.  What tough and talented group of girls.  How awesome must it be to be them right now.  Fab Five or Fierce Five.  They're amazing no matter what you call them.

Mckayla, Kyla, Aly, Gabby, Jordan [Photo Source Getty Images @NBCOlympic.com]

I'm also loving that Mj sat right there and watched the whole thing with me.  With all the jumping around NBC does with Olympic coverage it was hours.  He asked me questions about what was going on.  He was interested and it was pretty cool.  I had to totally unplug the day of competition because between the time difference in London and the East Coast West Coast time difference I can't risk being a spoiler alert victim.  I really like the suspense of watching the competition without knowing the results.  So there was little internet and no Facebook yesterday.  And it'll be the same on Thursday for All Around finals.  I could DVR and watch it the next day but I can't wait!  I'm so tired today but staying up was worth it.  I get a whole week of watching the best gymnasts in the world compete.  I'm on Gymnastics overload and I love it.
 
Team Final Results
USA  183.596
Russia 178. 530
Romania 176. 414
China 174.430
Canada 170.804
Great Britain 170.495
Italy  167.930
Japan  166.646

Next Up: All Around Finals 

So golden they ended up on a Corn Flakes Box!!!

Jordan is Out and Aly is In

Aly Raisman qualifies to All Around finals as the #1 for USA.  Gabby Douglas qualifies #2. [Photo Source:  NBCOlympics.com]

It was obvious that Aly was in shock and disbelief to find that she was in the #1 spot for All Around rankings after Team USA's qualification round.  So was Jordan and so was everyone else.  It was expected that the team would qualify for Team finals #1 but it was not expected that Aly would qualify for All Around finals.  It was supposed to be Gabby and Jordan according to expectation but due to the two athlete per country rule Jordan got bumped out.  Never mind that she is the current reigning World Champion and finished 4th among all the athletes in qualifications.  Rules are rules and even though she has trained her whole life for this and is obviously one of the best of the best she will not get the chance to compete in the All Around Finals.  My heart breaks for her.  She's done everything right and she deserves to be there.  But of course, so do Aly and Gabby.  Jordan made some mistakes and the judges were really hard on her on beam but even as I watched the competition nothing seemed amiss.  It's not like she fell or anything obvious.  An arched back on bars, a big balance break on beam and out of bounds on floor.  Not perfect, but neither was anyone else.  I just figured that Aly would be odd man out and was preparing to feel really bad for her because she works so hard yet never comes out on top.  Instead, Aly's hard work finally did pay off.  She rocked beam and her last event, floor was amazing.  This day belonged to her and with just one slightly off day for Jordan her dream was crushed.  We'll only see her in Team Finals and individual event finals on Floor.  I'm very happy for Aly and Gabby.  Especially Aly because has been so consistent for so many years and has improved so much on her form.  It's just such a shame for Jordan.  She seemed dazed after she saw the score board.  I think she wanted to head right out of the arena but was corralled back into the media area along with the rest of the team.  She barely held the tears back as she was interviewed afterwards.  This did not go as planned but she still has to put her disappointment aside and step up tomorrow for the team. 

Jordan Wieber burst into tears when she saw her name drop to 3rd [Photo Source:  NBCOlympics.com]

She's not the first deserving gymnast to ever be a victim of the two per country rule and she won't be the last unless it changes.  It should be about the best of the best and not the best of the best minus some athletes if their team is really, really good.  I think if you are in the top 8 but got bumped out because of the two per country rule then you should be allowed into finals.  If they must cap it at 24 then whomever is at the bottom should get bumped out.  It seems kind of ridiculous that person #24 who has absolutely no chance for an AA medal will get to compete for it but Jordan won't.  A rule that's supposed to encourage diversity and make things "fair" sure doesn't seem so fair right now.

Another upset of the games so far is Michael Phelps getting 4th place (no medal) to Ryan Lochte's win in the 400 IM finals.  I don't follow swimming but from what I can piece together it seems that Michael intended 2008 where he won 8 Gold medals to be his last Olympics but then ended up going for 2012 anyways.  It seems that while Ryan was training his butt off for the last four years Michael came into the competition unprepared and maybe slightly overconfident if you asked me.  The commentators said that he didn't get as much training in.  During the interview afterwards he seemed really distracted.  He kept looking off to the side instead of talking directly to the camera and you could tell the last place he wanted to be was in front of the camera after his first Olympic loss since 2004.

This is just two examples just in the first few days of the Olympics of how anything can happen.  It doesn't matter how good you are or how many medals you have at home if you are not THE BEST on THE DAY it counts nothing else matters.

Next Up:  Team Finals

There's Something about the Olympics

Kyla Ross dismounting, Gabby Douglas mounting [Photo Source:  NBCOlympics.com]

Aly Raisman.  Never count her out.  She wants gold.   [Photo Source:  NBCOlympics.com]

There's just something about the Olympics.  Everybody is watching.  For two weeks it's not some terrible tragedy or incomprehensible act of evil that's keeping the whole world in front of the TV.  There is so much ugliness in the world but the Olympics is something that everyone across the nation can watch and take pride in together.  It's more than just sports.  It's a metaphor for what we aspire to be.  Courageous, strong, determined, skilled.  It's the best of the best and the only thing that even comes close to the incredible talent and athleticism that the Olympics displays is the way it unites the world.  Every four years a crop of new and returning athletes from all over the fights to earn the opportunity to live out a dream.  It's the chance for athletes to compete and be rewarded for their hard work with exposure, endorsements and other opportunities that they might not otherwise get.  It doesn't matter how marginal your sport or how tiny your country.  Once you become an Olympian you also become a shining star in your own right.  Gold, Silver, Bronze or no metal at all the fact that you made it at all is the biggest accomplishment of all.  Some just want to compete and others come for medals but they are all winners.  The Olympics is the biggest competition of their life.  The pressure is intense and I think that's what really draws you in.  The culmination of years of hard work, dedication and sacrifice has come down to one moment.  Everyone wants to do their best.  Some do and some don't.  You can always expect incredible stories of victory, disappointment and of overcoming the odds. It's really magical but at times even heartbreaking.

Team USA:  The Fierce Five-Jordan, McKayla, Kyla, Aly, Gabby [Photo Source:  NBCOlympics.com]

Russian star Victoria Komova.  She'll be going for All Around Gold  [Photo Source:  NBCOlympics.com]

I used to be a gymnast and now I'm a fan.  I recorded the 1988, 1992, 1996 Olympics and everything I could watch in between on VHS tapes with a VCR.  I don't know if or when I will ever watch those old tapes again but I still have them in a shoebox somewhere.  Gymnastics is near and dear to my heart and not just every four years.  Gymnasts do things that the human body simply should not be able to do.  The acrobatic skills they do defy the laws of gravity and reason.  What sane individual does a standing full twisting back tuck on a four inch wide four foot high beam?  How is it that a person even has the ability and air awareness to do such a thing?  At a high level all sports are hard even if they don't always look it but Gymnastics is one of those sports where there is no mistaking the incredible degree of talent and sheer guts that it takes to do it.  You must do incredibly difficult and dangerous skills without fear.  And then you must do it over and over again perfectly.  I'm totally in awe of what they do and the dedication it takes to do it.  Even if no one pays attention every other year Gymnastics is always one of the most popular Olympic sports.  The Women's team competition starts Sunday.  They made the cover of Sports Illustrated and have a good chance at winning Gold.  I will be glued to the TV screen along with the rest of the world watching every Tkatchev, double twisting double back and two and a half twisting Yurchenko. 

A beautiful picture slideshow of women's podium training.  They are ready for the 2012 London Olympics.

2012 Olympics Gymnastics Pics, Recaps and Results

What is your favorite Olympic sport and why?

2012 Olympic Trials & Tribulations

Gabby Douglas wins Trials [Photo Credit:  nbcolympics.com]

Jordan, Mckayla, Aly and Gabby [Photo Credit:  Universal Sports]

The Olympic team has been named.  It almost brought tears to my eyes to see those girls crying tears of happiness, relief and sheer joy as they ran out onto the floor.  What a long road this has been for all of them.  To have worked so hard at something for so long and to finally achieve something that so few ever do is such an accomplishment.  The Olympic Games truly is an impossible dream but not for these young ladies.  Gabby beating World Champion Jordan is huge!  They will push each other to do better and if they perform to their full potential at the Olympics it could be a 1-2 USA sweep in the All Around.  They will need to hold off the formidable Russian 1-2 of Komova and Mustafina but the fact that the US has two athletes that are in serious contention for the All-Around is amazing.  They are all amazing athletes and I can't wait to see them go out there and kick some Russian, Romanian and Chinese butt!  If anyone can bring home Olympic team gold for the first time since 1996 it's them.

2012 Olympic Team

Gabrielle Douglas
McKayla Maroney
Alexandra Raisman
Kyla Ross
Jordyn Wieber 

Alternates:

Sarah Finnegan
Anna Li
Elizabeth Price 

Video of Olympic Team Announcement 

My heart aches for Alicia Sacramone and Rebecca Bross.  After taking time off after the 2008 Olympics Alicia came back to the sport and like only she could earned a spot to Worlds last year but didn't even get to compete.  She tore her Achilles in training.  Just 9 months after that she was back in action just as good as before  minus one event.  Alicia was ready and she performed well.  She did everything she could have have done but Team USA simply didn't need the two events she had to offer.  If that injury had never occurred and she was still competing floor I think she would have at least been named as an alternate.  Another victim of what if is Rebecca.  She was on track to be the next Olympic all around champ three years ago but time and injury reared it's ugly head and snatched that dream away.  The time was now and not even her six world medals could save it.  I have so much respect for how she fought back from two injuries and never gave up her dream even after being reduced to only two events and struggling so much in competitions.  On bars she fell two times and got right back up.  After the 3rd time her coach signaled to her that she needs to salute and be done.  It was sad to watch.  She fought hard but it just wasn't to be for her.  It wasn't televised but I heard she rocked her beam set.  Good for her.



There were a lot of angry fans out there who didn't even want her to try.  She had her chance and now it's time for the new generation they said.  They hated all the coverage and air time NBC was giving her when there were plenty of other athletes far more prepared and way more in contention then her.  A small part of me agrees but the other part of me says that if she or any other athlete has that burning desire to come back and give it another go they deserve that chance just like anybody else.  Nastia Liukin did herself a disservice by coming back so late.  Had she given herself adequate time to prepare this may have turned out very differently.  She was too wishy washy about what she wanted and by the time she got serious about it and decided to come back three years had passed, the clock was ticking and she ran out of time.  She either underestimated the amount of time it would take to get back into shape or was relying on some 11th hour burst of energy to get through bars.  Or maybe a little bit of both.  It was sad to see the 2008 Olympic Champion so unprepared at Nationals and Trials.  At times it was almost painful to watch as she couldn't even complete a full bar routine.  No one else could have gotten that far in the process with such weak routines.  But she is Nastia and so Marta gave her a chance and I think it's a chance that she earned and a chance that she deserved. Chelsie Memmell may have deserved the same chance just to get to Nationals but that's not Nastia's fault.  What you've done in the past however, will never be enough to earn your way onto an Olympic team and she knew it.  Her trademark elegance and beauty was still there but the skills and execution were not.  She gave her best and her best simply wasn't good enough this time but I respect and admire that she was not afraid to tarnish that perfect 2008 Olympic Champion image.  That took a lot of guts.  She really was chasing fools gold and even with defeat right around the corner she kept trying and hoping until the bitter end.  Although she didn't make the team what she did epitomizes the courage and strength of an Olympian.  She fell hard onto her stomach off of bars but through the pain she got back up and I was so glad to see her finally stand up that bar dismount and then finish strong on beam.  She went out with class, dignity and to the screaming adoration of 18,000 fans just as an Olympic Champion should.

UPDATE:  How did Team USA do at the Olympics?

Those Olympic Odds

The Summer Olympics in London are only two months away!!! I am so excited. Most people only pay attention to gymnastics during the Olympics but because I'm always obsessed with all things Gymnastics I've been looking forward to this for a while.  The Visa Nationals (June 9-10) and US Olympic Trials (July 1) are the big competitions leading up to it and Olympic competition begins on July 28th.

[Photo Source]  Seven Olympic Dreams in 1996

In the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta there were Seven.  Who can forget the Mag 7 team Gold and Kerri Strug's heroic vault?  For team finals 6 gymnasts competed on each event and 5 scores counted.  In the 2000 Sydney Olympics they reduced the number on each team to 6 with 5 gymnasts up on each event and 4 scores counting.  In Beijing 2008 they kept the number on each team at 6 but they changed the format to only 3 gymnasts up on each event with all 3 scores counting.  Very unforgiving as there is literally  no margin for error plus that often means less Olympic action for each gymnast.  And now, for London 2012 they have reduced the  number to only 5 with the same 3 up 3 count team finals format.  Obviously, everyone can't be an Olympian but Seven gives a decent number of gymnasts that chance.  But only Five? Even to reduce it by two spots is major.  Each reduction from 7 to 6 to 5 basically cuts someone's Olympic dream.  The IOC says the cuts were made to encourage diversity and more participation from other countries.  Limiting athletes per team allows more individual slots from other countries.  But still, Five is just too low.

[Photo Source] 2011 World Team:  Ana, Jordan, Mckayla, Sabrina, Aly, Gabby.
All six are going for the 2012 Olympics but only five spots are available.

It is mind boggling to me that only five female gymnasts will get to the Olympics this year.

The 2011 World Team Medalists~The whole Gold medal winning World Championship Team is trying for a spot but there are only two that I consider to be a sure thing.  Jordan Wieber the current USA #1 and reigning World All Around Champ is all but guaranteed a spot as long as she doesn't get injured.  Aly Raisman is another World medalist that is almost guaranteed because she has great difficulty, is consistent and has proven herself time and time again.  The way I see it there are really only three spots that are up for grabs!  Out of the remaining four who made up that team I'd say Gabby Douglas has the best chance, Ana Li is a long shot and McKayla Maroney and Sabrina Vega fall somewhere in between. 

[Photo Source]  So beautiful! She Nailed that beam routine 2 weeks ago.

The Veteran /Comeback group~  So what about a gymnast like 2007 National Champ Rebecca Bross?  After two back to back injuries she still hasn't given up in this.  Three years ago she was the one everyone thought would be next in line to be the All Around Champion in 2012 but things have changed and that won't happen now.  She got injured, she's out of time and has been reduced to only two events; Bars and Beam with her Beam routine being pretty shaky.  I can't imagine how difficult it must be for her to continue training so many hours per day six days a week when with only two events and the fact that she is barely getting back into competition the odds are really not in her favor.  Two time Olympian Alicia Sacramone is back and only plans to do Vault and Beam whereas at the last Olympics she did those events plus floor.  She's also coming off of an injury and hasn't competed in a while but can usually be counted on to be consistent.  Her odds are better then Rebecca's in my opinion.  2008 Olympic All Around Champion Nastia Liukin has come back to the sport after three years with her best two events Bars and Beam.  She nailed her  beam two weeks ago at the Secret Classic showing us this comeback is for real.  Her beauty is unmatched on those two events and I'd love to see her in the Olympics again.  Not being All Arounders and doing the same events you already know that at best only one of those three girls has any chance of making the team.  And there is also Bridget Sloan; a member of the 2008 Olympic team and the 2009 World All Around Champion who has been mostly out of commission ever since. I think she's planning four events.  Shawn Johnson (2008 All Around silver medalist) decided to make a comeback after blowing out her knee skiing and was supposed to be competing but just announced her retirement on Sunday. 

Right there alone, that's ten athletes battling for only five spots.  On top of that there are a few up and comers who are not veterans and who were not part of that World Championship team last year that also have an outside shot.  It's the World Champions who have proven themselves to be ready right now and want their turn VS the veterans with great past accomplishments who still think they have what it takes VS the exciting newcomers with amazing talent, nothing to lose and everything to prove.

Only Five gymnasts.  More dreams will be crushed then will come true.  Who will make it?

The 2012 Visa Nationals Women's Day 1 can be seen Live Friday 5pm West Coast  here at Universal Sports online and on Sunday the Finals will air on NBC at 1pm West Coast time.  Both days will remain viewable on Universal Sports online.

UPDATE:  Who made the 2012 Olympic Team?
UPDATE:  The Mag 7, where are they now?