US Olympic Gymnastics Team: Saturday Qualifying Sets Stage for All the Finals

The sport of gymnastics is a thrilling Olympic event that puts 14 gold medals on the line for the men.

There are plenty of electrifying moments to catch in the next two weeks, but Saturday may arguably the most important day of it all.

The men’s qualifiers will be shown from 8-12 p.m. ET on NBC in primetime, (along with swimming and beach volleyball) and the stakes are going to be sky-high.

The three sessions on Saturday will determine who has the chance to actually compete for a gold medal. If the scores don’t add up tomorrow, your stay in the London Olympics will be a rather brief one.

There will be eight countries advancing to the men’s team finals, with the Americans expected to be right in the thick of the race. That means at the very least all five Americans will be able to participate in the festivities for more than just the first day is they are able to advance.

As for all-around final, 24 gymnasts will advance to the finals, with only two allowed to advance from the same team.

When it comes to the men’s floor, pommel, rings, vault, parallel bar and high bar, there will only be eight gymnasts who advance to the event final (max of two per team).

An off day on Saturday is going to ruin your Olympic experience with so few spots available.

After the qualifying stage there will be nothing but finals in gymnastics. It’s potentially the only time you’ll be able to catch all five Americans in action. While Jake Dalton, Jonathan Horton and Sam Mikulak are more than capable of competing for gold’s, all eyes with be on Danell Leyva and John Orozco.

Those two will be the ones with the best odds of bringing home American gold and making their country proud.

Those dreams can come to a shattering halt with a poor performance tomorrow.

So while the vast majority of Olympic events are just cracking the surface of their importance, gymnastics has crucial action right off the bat.

It should be an exciting way to kick off the festivities. 

Follow Eric Ball on Twitter