Olympic Women's Gymnastics 2012: Douglas, Raisman Will Continue US Dominance

After winning the Gold in the team gymnastic competition, Team USA shifts its focus to the individual competitions. 

Competing for the red white and blue will be Aly Raisman,18, and Gabby Douglas, 16. The pair enter the Individual All-Around competition with the second and third highest qualifying scores, respectively. Following qualifiers, they both trail Viktoria Komova of Russia, who led the field with a score of 60.632. 

Many regard Douglas as the most talented, but also the most erratic gymnast in the field. NBC analyst Andy Thornton notes:

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"Perhaps the toughest challenger Gabby Douglas will face in this all-around final will be herself."

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For Douglas, the team Olympic Gold medal might be the confidence boost she needed to propel herself to individual success. In addition to her team Gold Medals in London and at the 2011 World Championships in Tokyo, Douglas has two individual first place finishes, both in the uneven bars one coming at the 2012 Pacific Rim Championships and the other at the 2010 Pan American Championships.  

Raisman, on the other hand, surprised many by cracking into the qualifying group. Her qualifying score bounced fellow teammate and World Champion Jordyn Weiber from advancing to the Individual All-Around final, as one country can only have a maximum of two competitors participate.

Even with the odds-on favorite out for the U.S., Raisman and Douglas should be able to continue America's gymnastic dominance in the London Games.  

Raisman's success this summer should not be a complete surprise to the gymnastic community; at the 2011 World Championships, she finished fourth in the all-around.

Gymnasticszone.com describes Raisman:

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"Raisman has trained alongside 2008 Olympian Alicia Sacramone at Brestyan’s American Gymnastics for years. Sacramone calls Raisman her “Mini-Me” and they have similar strengths—both are powerful on floor and vault, solid on beam, and weaker on bars."

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If Raisman is able to put together a strong performance on the uneven bars, her weakest event, then she has a clear chance at medaling. 

Team USA's gymnasts set an early tone for the London Games with their Gold, today we will see if Gabby Douglas and Aly Raisman can continue America's dominance.