Olympic Gymnastics Results 2012: Team Victory Will Propel Gabby Douglas to Gold

Gabby Douglas enters Thursday's individual all-around final as the expected gold medal winner.

She's rivaled by several other talented competitors, but Douglas has all the momentum entering the decisive individual event.

Part of her momentum comes from her undeniable talent, and part of it comes from Team USA's gold-medal victory in the team final earlier this week.

She turned in dazzling performances on every one of her rotations and was a key component in her team's first-place finish.

Her performances here confirmed what we already knew: she's very, very good.

Douglas' biggest competition would have been her American teammate Jordyn Wieber, but Wieber failed to qualify.

Aly Raisman claimed Team USA's second spot instead.

That clears the way for Douglas and her dynamic talents on the bar exercises.

Confidence goes a long way in individual events like this.

It's just you and the apparatus, with millions of eyes watching your every move. Every small error is blown up under a high-powered microscope, and the pressure is always on.

Competitions like this require precise focus and relentless hunger for victory.

Douglas is only 17 years old, but she's won individual gold medals on other international stages. She tasted team victory at the 2011 World Championships, and now she's experienced it again in London.

She may be young, but she's already achieved a ton.

Olympic gymnastic competition is a process, and Douglas has done very well in all phases.

She was the top qualifier for individual all-around competition, and she was unflappable in Team USA's gold-medal march.

The process culminates here.

The top all-around gymnast in the world will be crowned on Thursday, and Douglas will bear the honors.

She knows what it takes to win, and she's already familiarized herself with victory's addictive nature.