US Women's Gymnastic Olympic Team 2012: What Trials Taught Us About Team USA

With the 2012 Summer Olympics from London starting Friday, July 27, the excitement over the U.S. women’s gymnastics team has fans of the sport ready to build off the trials earlier this month.

As great as the legacy is for Team USA’s women’s gymnastics program, the Olympic trials taught us that the road to gold will not be easy.

These women will have to earn every inch this time around.

Team USA Must Find Leadership

With the retirement of veteran gymnast Shawn Johnson, the US women are searching to find a source of leadership for this wave of talented stars trying to win gold in London.

That’s where Jordyn Wieber and Gabby Douglas have the chance to step up and become stars.

In thrilling fashion, Douglas barely beat Wieber to win the Olympic Trials and prove that this duo will be pushing each other to be the best.

With healthy competition and a desire to represent the red, white and blue, Team USA’s leaders are right under their noses.

Uneven Bars are Weak

While the United States women’s gymnastics team is one of the strongest in the world, there are some very clear weaknesses in their routines. The most notable and publicized has been the poor showing on the uneven bars.

Bleacher Report’s own Emily Bayci broke down the troubles that became abundantly clear at the Olympic trials:

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There were some devastating performances on bars during the second night of Trials. Nastia Liukin face-planted in the middle of her routine, and Rebecca Bross fell three times and didn't even finish her routine…I think Kyla Ross was selected to the team solely for her prowess on the bars.

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With the clear issues in this event, there is little doubt that adding a specialist in that one event is a risk worth taking. As we will find out with the vault, it’s a risk the Americans were forced to take again.

The Vault is Key

Just as Ross will be the bars specialist for Team USA, McKayla Maroney will be the secret weapon in another event the team has struggled mightily; the vault.

As gymnastics fans will never forget, it was Kerri Strug's vault that catapulted the US women to gold in 1996. For that dream to come true again, Team USA needs a great vault.

While an injury last month had many concerned, the hope is that Maroney will score so high that the rest of the team will be saved by her talent. This will be a clear case of the specialist carrying the team through an event.

Isn’t that what the USA is all about anyway?

Check back for more on the 2012 Summer Olympics as it comes, and don’t miss Bleacher Report’s Olympics page to get your fill of the best athletes the world has to offer.

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