Beloved Team USA women’s gymnast Gabby Douglas credited God and scriptures for keeping her focused during the 2012 Olympic qualifying rounds. And a mere two tenths of a point came to serve as her answered prayer.
In an extremely tight race, Douglas will represent the United States in the all-around competition.
A controversial new ruling in women’s gymnastics means that only two competitors per country can vie for the highly coveted all-around title. Because of the fierce competition within the entire group of women gymnasts representing the United States, Douglas’ teammate – reigning World Champion Jordyn Wieber – was not so lucky.
She couldn’t help but break down as she saw the scoreboard reveal that Aly Raisman edged her out by a mere two tenths of a point – almost exactly the same lead margin that was able to secure the top qualifying spot for Douglas.
Consistency kept Raisman in the loop for the all-around qualifier. Strong solid performances made the difference, while a single out-of-bounds foot slip meant that Wieber would not be able to prove herself as the world’s best all-around women’s gymast in an Olympic setting.
Wieber was going into the 2012 Olympics Games in London as the favorite for the all-around gold medal. But with the shocking upset all eyes will be on Douglas with respect to USA’s shot at all-around individual.
USA was the most consistent of all of the women’s gymnastics powerhouses at last night’s qualifying round for overall. Performances by Russia, Romania and China were marred with errors and uncharacteristic mistakes.
If Douglas maintains the composure and skill illustrated throughout her rotations during the qualifying rounds, all-around Olympic gold in London will be hers to lose.
