McKayla Maroney: American Sure to Land in All-Around Medal Contention

If there is one thing McKayla Maroney knows how to do, it is how to excel in the vault.

But that's not the only gold medal she'll contend for this summer in London. 

Maroney is going to be difficult—no, impossible—to beat in the vault. It would be like someone outrunning Usain Bolt in 2008, or someone dunking on Yao Ming in his prime. She is the best vaulter, not only in the U.S., but in the world.

There isn't going to be anybody who can compete with Maroney in the vault. There's going to be no race for the gold; there will only be a race for the silver. Even with a sore foot, nobody will be able to come close to matching the explosiveness and the dominance that Maroney brings to the table in her best event.

Maroney finished first in the vault at this year's trials. She finished first at the Secret U.S. Classic in Chicago earlier this year, first at the Visa Championships in 2011, first at the Visa Championships in 2010.

And yet, she brings more than expert vaulting to the table for the U.S. Olympic team. She can compete for an all-around medal, despite the fact that very few of the pundits seem to think that any American aside from Jordyn Wieber or Gabby Douglas is worthy of consideration.

At the Olympic Trials, she finished fifth in floor exercise and seventh all-around, and at the Visa Championships in 2011, she finished second all-around.

Who's to say she can't improve on those performances and win an all-around silver or bronze in London?

Somehow, the world's best vaulter has flown under the radar leading up to the Olympics due to the abundant attention that has been afforded to teammates Jordyn Wieber and Gabby Douglas.

Maroney may not be able to beat Wieber when it comes to taking home the all-around gold medal, but she can beat Douglas and she could beat the other contenders the rest of the world will send to London.

Many of the pundits have Douglas taking home the all-around silver medal in London, but Douglas hasn't yet been tested in international competition. She was excellent at the trials—no one is disputing that—but she also came out of nowhere to finish first.

Is it possible she was uncharacteristically good at the trials? Yes. And is it possible that Maroney can attribute her seventh-place all-around finish to the fact that she suffered a concussion and a nasal fracture just three weeks earlier?

Maroney suffered the concussion while warming up for the Visa Championships in St. Louis in June. She overcame it to participate in the trials and earn a spot on the Olympic team. And with another month of recovery time under her belt by the time she has to compete in London, you can expect her to be just as good as she was at the 2011 Visa Championships, when she was second-best all-around.

We haven't yet seen the best Maroney has to offer and counting her out as a contender for an all-around medal is an oversight. But maybe being passed over will give her the motivation she needs to push herself even further when her performances really start counting.

Being at your best during the trials is exciting, but any gymnast would trade a first-place finish at the trials for a medal during the Olympics.

Maroney is going to win the gold in the vault. Don't be surprised if she wins a few others, too.