Gymnastics Olympic Qualifications 2012: Underrated Teams That Are Contenders

Saturday is a huge day for gymnastics.

When NBC airs primetime coverage on the mats from 8-12 p.m. ET today (along with swimming and beach volleyball) there will already be a ton on the line.

There will be eight teams advancing to the finals, where the quest for a medal truly begins. While teams like the United States, China and Japan are unofficial locks to advance, there are a handful of teams that have the talent to win a gold medal.

So when you watch the action tonight, keep an eye on the following three teams.

Great Britain

The home crowd will be cheering on a group that doesn’t have a ton of experience, but a load of potential.

Daniel Purvis is a 22-year-old rising star who won bronze at the floor exercise in the 2010 World Championships. His strong balance and incredible versatility allowed him to overcome food poisoning to help his team win the team competition at the London test event earlier this year (via Sports Illustrated).

He’ll be helped out by the 23-year-old Louis Smith, who is exceptional at the pommel horse among other events.

Smith has Olympic experience, and that could go a long way on the biggest stage of them all on a young team. While the entire team isn’t as strong as some of the others, these two have the ability to carry Great Britain to the Olympic promised land.

Russia

The 19-year-old Denis Ablyazin, 20-year-old David Belyavskiy and 21-year-old Emin Garibov form a trio that can compete with anyone in London.

They are extremely disciplined and have a knack for consistency.

Then there is the 23-year-old Aleksandr Balandin. He is a wizard on the rings and is one of the favorite to take home gold in the individual event. He can carry this incredibly deep team.

Germany

Philipp Boy, a 25-year-old high bar specialist, has a ton of experience in competition.

He was a member of the 2007 and 2010 World bronze winning teams, and earned back-to-back silver medals at the World All Around completion in 2010 and 2011. In 2011 he won the European All Around Champion award. He's dangerous in a team setting.

Joining him will be the 24-year-old Fabian Hambuechen, who earned a bronze medal in the 2008 Olympics. Adding to the experienced squad is another 24-year-old in Marcel Nguyen, who has proven to be a terrific all-around performer in the past.

While winning a gold medal is a long-shot, this is a team that can sneak up on more talented ones due to their incredible experience. 

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