Olympic Women's Gymnastics 2012: Gabby Douglas Is Breakout Star to Watch

With her beaming smile, upbeat personality and breathtaking aerial acrobatics, gymnast Gabby Douglas is primed to be one of the breakout athletes at the 2012 London Olympics.

The 16-year-old West Des Moines resident has the charm and skills that every Olympic superstar needs. Her smile lights up a room, her charisma with reporters defies her young age, and her skills in the arena are simply astonishing.

Douglas was a member of the American women's team that took first at the 2011 World Championships in Japan, and after winning the all-around title at the U.S. Olympic Trials, she seemed ready to explode on the sport's biggest stage.

She has lived up to all the hype thus far, delivering several incredible performances in Sunday's qualifiers. Only Viktoria Komova of Russia and teammate Aly Raisman posted a better overall score than Douglas, who finished with a spectacular 60.265.

She was excellent on the beam and the uneven bars, earning scores of 15.266 and 15.333. She was even better in the vault, delivering a nearly flawless performance that garnered a score of 15.900.

Now, Douglas is headed into the most critical stretch of her Olympic career. If she can come up with a similar showing in Thursday's individual all-around competition, she will catapult herself into international superstardom.

The Olympics are such a unique event, as the best and brightest of so many sports are featured. To stand out from that group, you have to possess a perfect mix of athleticism and personality.

Douglas has that mix, and if she performs the way she is capable of, she will emerge as America's No. 1 breakout star of the 2012 Olympics.