Olympic Women's Gymnastics 2012: Event Finals Schedule and Predictions

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We've seen the "Fierce Five" win America's first team gold since 1996.

We've seen Gabby Douglas go from perpetual flake to cereal box cover art.

What haven't we seen at the women's gymnastics competition in London? The very best this sport has to offer.

That's what awaits us in the event finals, a format intended to aggregate the world's best apparatus specialists and demand their finest work.

Eight women enter, and no one holds back.

Let's preview then, shall we?

Schedule

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Sunday, August 5

Vault Final — 9:50 am ET

 

Monday, August 6

Uneven Bars Final — 9:50 am ET

 

Tuesday, August 7

Balance Beam Final — 9:47 am ET

Floor Exercise Final — 11:23 am ET

Vault

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The Lineup*:

McKayla Maroney, United States

Sandra Izbasa, Romania

Maria Paseka, Russia

Oksana Chusovitina, Germany

Yamilet Pena Abreu, Dominican Republic

Janine Berger, Germany

Brittany Rogers, Canada

Elizabeth Black, Canada

Medal Prediction:

Maroney (GOLD), Izbasa (SILVER), Chusovitina (BRONZE)

Breakdown:

There's only one question in this competition:  Will McKayla Maroney fall?

If Maroney stays upright—a fairly safe proposition given her competitive resume—no one in this field has the form or consistency to catch her.

I would, however, keep an eye on Yamilet Pena Abreu. The Dominican gymnast is known to attempt some maniacally difficult vaults.

 

*All lineups are listed in order of qualification score, from highest to lowest.

Uneven Bars

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The Lineup:

Elizabeth Tweddle, Great Britain

He Kexin, China

Viktoria Komova, Russia

Yao Jinnan, China

Aliya Mustafina, Russia

Gabby Douglas, United States

Elizabeth Seitz, Germany

Koko Tsurumi, Japan

Medal Prediction:

Tweddle (GOLD), Mustafina (SILVER), Komova (BRONZE)

Breakdown:

This apparatus should be an absolute dogfight, with each of the six top qualifiers capable of taking gold.

I'll give the hometown edge to Tweddle. If she hits her routine, the judges will be hard pressed to rule against her.

Both Russians were killer on this apparatus in the individual all-around, and defending Olympic champ He Kexin enters with a gaudy difficulty score.

Douglas is the sleeper—if an all-around champ even qualifies for such a title. She doesn't have the difficulty of her chief rivals, but the judges love her flair and release height.

Balance Beam

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The Lineup:

Sui Lu, China

Viktoria Komova, Russia

Gabby Douglas, United States

Deng Linlin, China

Alexandra Raisman, United States

Kseniia Afanaseva, Russia

Catalina Ponor, Romania

Diana Laura Bulimar, Romania

Medal Prediction:

Sui (GOLD), Douglas (SILVER), Komova (BRONZE)

Breakdown:

Realistically, I'd say there are four gymnasts in this field capable of scoring above 15.400: Sui, Komova, Douglas and Ponor.

It's remarkable to see Douglas' name in that group after her struggles on this apparatus at Visa Nationals and U.S. Trials. But what was once her Achilles heel has quickly become a strength, due in large part to improved focus.

Floor Exercise

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The Lineup:

Alexandra Raisman, United States

Sandra Izbasa, Romania

Vanessa Ferrari, Italy

Kseniia Afanseva, Russia

Lauren Mitchell, Australia

Jordyn Wieber, United States

Catalina Ponor, Romania

Aliya Mustafina, Russia

Medal Prediction:

Raisman (GOLD), Izbasa (SILVER), Mitchell (BRONZE)

Breakdown:

Wieber is the sentimental favorite after her surprising non-qualification in the individual all-around, but she'll need near-flawless execution to crack the top three. She's capable, but I like Raisman and Izbasa a smidge more.

Raisman has performed on floor three times so far in London and never scored below a 15.133. Izbasa has a similar track record, with three scores of 15.066 or higher.