US Olympic Gymnastics Team 2012: Jordyn Wieber Will Lead US to All-Around Gold

Jordyn Wieber is the X-factor that will push the US women’s gymnastics team to their coveted Olympic gold medal. In 2008, the women’s team racked up medals and pushed China, but fell short of obtaining the prestigious all-around gold medal.

In 2012, both the US men’s and women’s gymnastics teams have a good chance at earning a medal in the London Games.

However, the women—led by Wieber—look like the stronger of the two teams heading into the first round of competition this weekend.

What makes Wieber, 17, that great? She may not necessarily dominate any single event, but she is capable and skilled in each of them.

She’s also coming off winning the 2011 all-around title and helping her team earn gold at the World Championships in October. That wasn’t the beginning of her championship experience. Wieber has been racking up medals since she burst onto the competitive women’s gymnastics scene in 2009.

Wieber’s also a team player first and foremost. She demonstrated her selflessness and versatility in an interview with uinterview. She said:

"

Our first priority would be the team competition, so getting the team gold would be the first goal. My favorite event is either vault or beam. I like vault, because it's kind of a power event... And then beam has been my favorite ever since I was younger, so I've just enjoyed learning new skills. It sounds weird, but flipping on a four inch beam is fun.

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The fact that Team USA is stacked doesn’t hurt their chances either. Not only will Wieber’s ice-cold focus and heft determination help lead the team to an all-around gold medal, she just may capture a couple of her own individual medals.

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