U.S. Men's Gymnastic Olympic Team 2012: Medals Up for Grabs in Event Finals
Even with a disappointing finish in the team competition, the United States men's gymnastics team still has plenty of opportunities to win medals.
The U.S. squad finished in fifth place overall and missed the chance to medal for the first time since the 2000 Sydney Olympics.
Still, the team is full of talented specialists who will fight for medals in the event finals throughout the week.
Jake Dalton, Floor
It will be difficult to defeat Japanese gymnast Kohei Uchimura in any event, but Dalton must try in the floor competition.
Dalton was the youngest qualifier for the event final at the World Championships, but he has improved to the point that he is a legitimate contender.
He was the reason the U.S. team finished as high as third in the floor portion of the team finals, and his qualifying round earned him the fourth-highest score in the field. If he can avoid mistakes, he will find himself on the medal stand.
Sam Mikulak, Vault
Unlike other apparatuses, the vault features the athletes doing only one move. It provides underdogs with a chance to shock the world with a great maneuver and solid landing.
Mikulak had a disappointing performance in the team competition, but he showed in qualifying what he can do when he scored a 16.300 on his first jump.
Although his consistency is not great, Mikulak has what it takes to earn an Olympic medal.
Danell Leyva, Horizontal Bar
Leyva was a world champion in the parallel bars, but so far in London, he has been much better on the horizontal bar.
He had the exact same score of 15.866 in qualifying and the team final, which was among the best in the competition.
Even teammate Jonathan Horton will not be able to stop Leyva from contending in a wide-open field.
