US Olympic Gymnastics Team 2012: Women's Team Announced for London Olympics
The 2012 United States Women's Gymnastics team was confirmed shortly after the last day of the US Olympics Gymnastics Trials ended yesterday.
The U.S. Olympic team made the announcement through their official Twitter account. The tweet listed the following five women that will be headed to London:
"Presenting your 2012 @USAGym #Olympic women's team: Gabby Douglas, Jordyn Wieber, Aly Raisman, McKayla Maroney, and Kyla Ross!"
Sports website bleacherreport.com listed background information about each member and had the following to say about each one:
Aly Raisman, 18
Hometown: Needham, Massachusetts
"The elder statesman on this 2012 Olympic team, Raisman will look to lead this team by example in their quest for gold in London. She is the most experienced competitor on the squad, winning 18 medals in major tournaments since 2010. Raisman excels most in the floor exercise and balance beam, but was won three silver medals and four bronze medals in all-around competition."
Gabby Douglas, 16
Hometown: Virginia Beach, Virginia
"She shocked the country when she finished in first place at the trials in San Jose, California by a margin of 0.100 points. At just 16 years old, she edged out Jordan Wieber for first place in the individual all-around title thanks to her brilliant performance on the floor exercise."
Jordyn Wieber, 16
Hometown: Dewitt, Michigan
"Wieber was the best gymnast in the World Championships last year, but was edged out by fellow 16-year-old Douglas in the qualifiers. She dominated on the uneven bars in qualifying, which is surprising because it is one of her weaker events. She's being touted as the next great thing in American gymnastics-a title that she has proved she can live up to."
McKayla Maroney, 16
Hometown: Long Beach, California
"This Olympic team is full of youth, as we have our third 16-year-old on the squad in Maroney. She is best known for her success on the vault where she became the 2011 United States champion on the apparatus by besting Alicia Sacramone at the United States National Championships. Maroney won a team gold medal at the 2011 World Championships in Tokyo, as well as gold in the vault."
Kyla Ross, 15
Hometown: Aliso Viejo, California
"Ross is the youngest member of the team, but her age has never been a problem for her up to this point. Over her entire career, she has won 10 total medals in major tournaments since 2010, including gold medals in the all-around competition and balance beam. Ross is perhaps the biggest surprise out of the five members of the team, but shouldn't be sold short in London this summer."
