Olympic Gymnastics 2012: 5 Favorites to Win Gold at Summer Olympics

Gymnastics qualifications are finished, and five women have singled themselves out in their quests for Olympic gold.

While many of the gymnasts in London are still teenagers, they are competing with dedication and poise well beyond their years. If you missed out on these impressive young women qualifying for the medal events, jump on board now. Olympic glory is on the line, and some world-class athleticism will be on display.

Let's go through each of the events on tap and look at which gymnasts will be atop the podium when all is said and done.

Vault: McKayla Maroney

McKayla Maroney is above and beyond her competition in the vault, both figuratively and literally.

In qualification, Maroney blew away her competition with a two-jump average of 15.800. Though her American teammates scored on her level (every American scored at least 15.800 in the vault), the 16-year-old Californian was the only one to vault twice and thus the only one to qualify in the individual event.

Because of that, Maroney's closest-scoring competitor is Sandra Izbasa of Romania, who ranks second with a score of 15.316.

Maroney is able to produce such impressive scores due to the height she gets on her vaults, allowing her to execute more difficult attempts. Her 9.600 difficulty on her first vault of qualification was the best in the competition so far.

It's clear that the reigning world champion is unmatched in the vault. Barring disaster, Maroney will take home the gold to solidify her greatness.

Uneven Bars: Beth Tweddle

If Beth Tweddle can keep up her performance, she will bring home a gold for the host nation.

The 27-year-old's first major international competition was the 2001 World Championships. Yet here she is 11 years later, pacing the field in the uneven bars with a 16.133 in qualification.

Though she has 2008 gold-medalist He Kexin of China and Russia's Viktoria Komova nipping at her heels, Tweddle's exemplary 2012 performance could push her past her stiff competition.

It hasn't always been this way for Tweddle. She won the World Championships in the uneven bars in both 2006 and 2010, but also failed to qualify in 2009 and 2011. However, Tweddle has also upped the difficulty of her routine in 2012, powering her to a title at the Doha Cup.

With the tear she's on lately, Great Britain's Tweddle should finally come through in front of her countrymen at her third Olympics.

Balance Beam: Sui Lu

As we move to the balance beam, the field is wide open, with three gymnasts jockeying atop the rankings.

American Gabby Douglas trains under Liang Chow, who coached Shawn Johnson to the gold in this event in 2008. She is tied for second in the rankings with Viktoria Komova, who also scored 15.266 in qualification. Both women are primarily contenders in the all-around competition, but they are still two of the best in the world on the beam.

However, Sui Lu is the best in the world right now. Sui is the leader after qualification with a 15.400, and she took home the gold at the 2011 World Championships. Though Douglas and Komova may end up being bigger names following the all-around, Sui will ultimately prevail in her best event. 

Floor Exercise: Aly Raisman

Another event, another US gymnast cruising past the field. This time, it's Aly Raisman in the floor exercise.

Like her teammate Maroney in the vault, Raisman has outpaced the competition in every aspect of the floor. The 18-year-old doesn't just have the toughest exercise at 6.500; she also executes it better than anyone else, scoring a 8.825 in qualification for a total score of 15.325.

Raisman doesn't have quite the cushion that Maroney has. She also leads Sandra Izbasa, who ranks second with a 15.066. However, the Romanian's difficulty is 0.200 points fewer than Raisman's, meaning the American would have to slip up to open the door for an upset.

Given her polished efficiency, Raisman's odds of botching her routine are slim. Expect America to earn another gymnastics gold behind Raisman's exercise.

All-Around: Gabby Douglas

Viktoria Komova leads the all-around rankings and Aly Raisman is in contention, but Gabby Douglas has the best chance to win of the three.

Each of the three gymnast topped 15.000 in three of the four categories. Raisman struggled in the uneven bars with a 14.166, while Komova and Douglas had subpar floor exercises, scoring 13.900 and 13.766, respectively.

What does this mean for our medal predictions? Well, let's look at what each woman has done lately.

At the Russian Cup in June, Komova got the silver in her weak event, but did so with just a 14.300. Raisman was no more impressive at the Visa Championships; 14.200 was her highest score on the bars. Douglas, however, was competitive in the floor exercise, earning the bronze with a high score of 15.300.

All this points to Douglas having the most room to improve with a medal on the line. Though she ranked third behind Komova and Raisman, Douglas is the favorite to stand atop the podium as the Olympic all-around champion.