2012 US Olympic Gymnastics Team: Favorites to Star in Individual Events
The U.S. Olympic gymnastics team, led by McKayla Maroney, Jordyn Weiber and Danell Leyva, has an excellent chance to bring home multiple medals in the individual events.
They won't have an easy time of it, though, as powerhouses China and Russia continue to pump out phenomenal athletes every quadrennial.
With that in mind, let's take a look at which Americans have the best chance to star in the individual events.
Women's Individual All-Around
1 of 5Favorite to Star: Jordyn Wieber
Wieber was overtaken by teammate Gabby Douglas at the Olympic trials earlier this year, but don't let that result fool you. She was the 2011 World Champion in this event, and I expect Wieber to take back her rightful place as the best all-around women's gymnast in the world.
Wieber is solid in every single event, and she will be the woman to beat in the 2012 Summer Games.
Her top competition will come from Douglas and the Russian duo of Viktoria Komova and Aliya Mustafina.
Men's Individual All-Around
2 of 5Favorite to Star: Danell Leyva
This was a close one. Leyva and teammate John Orozco are both capable of bringing home the gold medal in the men's all-around, but I'm giving Leyva the nod due to the fact that he is performing well so far in the men's team competition and that he won the gold in the Olympic trials.
His high score of 92.95 in the trials would have earned Leyva a silver medal in both the 2008 Summer Games and in the 2011 World Championships.
Leyva is on a roll right now. He's peaking at just the right moment, and I expect him to challenge the world's best for the gold medal at the 2012 Summer Games.
Men's High Bar
3 of 5Favorite to Star: Danell Leyva
Leyva's best individual event is the high bar. He is a three-time U.S. champion, having won gold in 2009, 2011 and 2012.
The Miami Herald's Linda Robertson covered his Olympic trials. She wrote:
"Leyva, 20, wowed the HP Pavilion crowd with his spectacular high bar routine, which launches him toward the rafters and is peppered with intricate releases that provoke gasps. It’s a showstopper. The 7.2 degree of difficulty is the highest among U.S. men.
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His high score at the trials was a phenomenal 16.35—a score that would have earned him a gold medal at the 2008 Summer Games.
Leyva will be one of the favorites to win this event this year in London.
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Women's Vault
4 of 5Favorite to Star: McKayla Maroney
Maroney is one of the world's best on the women's vault, and ESPN's Amy Van Deusen says she's the heavy favorite to win the gold medal in 2012.
Maroney is the 2011 World Champion, and she's on the U.S. team for one specific reason, as she told NBCOlympics.com: "If I do my job I know I can get the gold medal. That’s what they picked me to be on the team for, so I need to be confident about that."
One of the biggest reasons Maroney is such a heavy favorite is that she is hitting her Amanar—one of the most difficult and dangerous vaults in the sport.
If she manages to hit this vault cleanly, Maroney will walk away from London with the gold medal.
Men's Parallel Bars
5 of 5Favorite to Star: Danell Leyva
In addition to being a high bar stud, Leyva excels on the parallel bars.
He's the reigning U.S. and world champ in this event, and it will be a shock to me if Leyva fails to medal in London.
One of the reasons Leyva dominates this event is that he has his own signature move: the jam-dislocate-hop to undergrips. It's a tricky move that he has perfected, and if he nails his routine, he'll come home with the gold medal.
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