US Olympics Gymnastic Team 2012: Ranking Women with Best Odds to Win Gold

Team USA’s young guns are locked and loaded to win gold.

With plenty of medals up for grabs, all five members of the U.S. women’s gymnastics squad will have an opportunity bring bling back to the states. Here’s a ranking of the women most likely to succeed in the 2012 London Summer Olympics.

5. Kyla Ross

At 15 years old, Ross is the youngest member of the women’s gymnastics team. Because of that, she’s also the least experienced. But Ross still has had plenty of success in recent competitions. She won a gold medal on the balance beam at the 2012 Pacific Rim Championships and in the individual all-around at the 2010 Pan American Championships.

4. Aly Raisman

Raisman is the wise, old veteran of the women’s gymnastics team at the age of 18. Being the most experienced, she’s won countless medals. But individually, she’s only won gold in the balance beam and floor exercise at the 2012 Visa Championships.

3. McKayla Maroney

Maroney doesn’t always medal, but when she does, she wins gold. The 16-year-old has won individual gold medals in the vault at the 2011 World Championships, the vault and floor at the 2010 Pan American Championships and on vault once again at the 2011 Visa Championships.

As you can tell, Maroney is a vault specialist and should be the event favorite going into the Olympics.

2. Gabby Douglas

Douglas defeated world champion Jordyn Wieber for the lone guaranteed spot on the U.S. women’s gymnastics squad. While Wieber went on to join her, Douglas' rise makes Team USA even more dangerous in the Olympics’ group competition.

Individually, Douglas is a stud on the uneven bars. She won gold at the 2012 Pacific Rim Championships, 2012 Visa Championships and 2010 Pan American Championships.

1. Jordyn Wieber

I won’t list all of the gold medals that Wieber has taken home because you’d be here all day. What you need to know is that she’s the best woman gymnast in the world. Wieber has won an incredible seven gold medals in individual all-around competition alone.

David Daniels is a featured columnist at Bleacher Report and a syndicated writer.

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