Gabby Douglas: Consistency Is Key for the Flying Squirrel

Gabby Douglas, along with Aly Raisman, will represent the USA in the women’s gymnastics individual all-around finals. If the all-around qualification is any indication, Douglas will have a great chance to contend for the gold medal.

The talented 16-year-old has had a breakout year in 2012, but to cap it off with the gold, she will need to be consistent across all of the events.

Douglas got the nickname “The Flying Squirrel” for her acrobatics on the uneven bars. It is an event she will need to excel in if she wants the gold.

Viktoria Komova of Russia will be Douglas’ chief competition. The two elite gymnasts performed similarly in qualifications. However, Komova made a few less errors that garnered her the top spot.

How close were they?

In the uneven bars, Komova finished third with a score of 15.833 and Douglas was sixth with a 15.333. Each gymnast posted a 15.266 on the beam, and both had issues during their floor routine.

The all-around finals will be a tense affair.

With Komova and Douglas closely matched in each event, every move becomes a competition between them. A small error, a wrong step, or a fatal slip will be enough for the other to capitalize on and take a lead.

It will be all about consistency at the finals. If there is one event that she can improve on to give herself a better chance at gold it is her floor routine.

As the floor routine is not a strength of Komova, it gives Douglas a chance to close the gap on the Russian. It could be where the gold medal is won or lost.

Going in to the all-around competition Douglas should have plenty of confidence. The Flying Squirrel just captured gold with her teammates in the team competition, the first for America since 1996. More importantly, with a victory over Jordyn Wieber at the Olympic Trials, she knows she can defeat the world’s best.

Confidence is everything. It will affect one’s performance. Having the Olympic Trials result in her back pocket is a big advantage for the Virginian.

The women’s all-around finals may be one of the closest and most dramatic events of the Olympic Games. It has all the makings to be a tightly contested competition that may come down to the final performance. It is what the Olympics is all about.

Douglas is already a star. She is already an Olympic gold medalist. The individual final is the opportunity to set herself apart from the long list of U.S. greats. She can earn Olympic gold as a part of the Fab Five and as an individual.