US Olympic Men's Gymnastics Team 2012: Power Ranking the Athletes on Team USA

The U.S. men's gymnastic team is deep and talented. They are short on Olympic experience, though; 26-year-old Jonathan Horton is the only member returning from the bronze medal Beijing team.

He also is the only member of this young squad who is more than 20 years old. 

This is an explosive and diverse bunch, though, and they certainly have the talent to come back from London with a medal. 

Take a look at how the five athletes—Horton, Danell Leyva, John Orozco, Sam Mikulak and Jake Dalton—stack up with each other and what we can expect from them in London.  

No. 5: Sam Mikulak

Sam Mikulak has been on a steady rise in the gymnastics world. He was the 2011 NCAA champion, and then came in third in this year's nationals. 

Mikulak was firmly entrenched in third place at the Trials, but he sprained his ankle during the event. This limited his events as the competition came to a close.

However, the judges have seen enough consistency out of this youngster to feel strongly enough about him to put him on this team. He should certainly be fully healed by the time the Olympics roll around, though the ankle injury will undoubtedly hinder his training process. 

No. 4: Jake Dalton

Jake Dalton, the University of Oklahoma sophomore, is the defending NCAA champion. Obviously, he has a tremendous all-around game, but he really excels in the floor and vault. 

Dalton is strong and explosive. If he nails his floor routine in London, he could be a big breakout star at these games. 

Despite his youth, he has some serious international competition under his belt. He was part of the past U.S. team that took bronze at the World Championships. 

No. 3: Jonathan Horton

As previously mentioned, Horton is the lone member of this team with Olympic experience, and it is a successful experience. 

Horton came up huge in competition to help the men take the bronze in 2008. The video shown here is his silver medal-winning performance in the high bar from the Beijing Games. That was the only individual medal the U.S. men won.

Horton was outstanding in all events from 2008, as he is fearless in competition. He likes to go for big-time aerial tricks, and when he is on, he is a showstopper. 

No. 2: John Orozco

John Orozco, 19, has always been a talented and explosive gymnast, but it wasn't until 2011 that he really broke into the elite level. 

That year, he finished third at the U.S. Senior Nationals and later placed fifth at worlds. This was especially impressive given that he tore his Achilles tendon in 2010.

Orozco is a well-rounded performer. He is capable of putting up good scores in every event, and he usually does. He will be a valuable member to this team, and he certainly has a shot to come back with an individual medal if he puts it all together. 

No. 1: Danell Leyva

Danell Leyva gets the well-earned top spot on this ranking after his outstanding performance at the Trials led to him walking away with the title.

Leyva has certainly proved his ability in more arenas than the Trials. He is a fantastically consistent performer, and he has been racking up titles. Leyva was the 2011 U.S. men's all-around champion, and he also took the top spot in parallel bars (see attached video) in worlds that same year. 

Leyva is especially fun to watch in the parallel bars and high bar competitions, but his greatness is certainly not limited to those events. He, along with Orozco, is America's best chance at claiming an individual medal.