London 2012 Olympics: Most Breathtaking Summer Olympic Performances

One week down, one week to go in London.

With a week of performances in the book, there's no doubt that we have seen some incredible performances. As far as that goes, we've got plenty more to go too.

But let's stick to what we've seen so far. What does that entail? Well, we've seen records broken, youngsters prevailing in surprising fashion and, for some of the veteran Olympians, their very last runs.

All that being said, what performances have earned the right to be dubbed "breathtaking"?

McKayla Maroney's Vault to the Moon

Each time 16-year-old McKayla Maroney stepped up to the vault, you just knew you were going to see something spectacular. She definitely didn't disappoint last Sunday, when she vaulted twice, but when she took the stage on Tuesday during the team finals, the world saw something incredible.

A seemingly perfect vault was performed, despite the judges docking a meager amount of points. After seeing several replays, I still can't find fault in the stunning leap of faith.

When you watch these young women vault, there's no doubt that it's impressive. Watching Maroney do it is a whole other experience. At the point in the air where most girls begin to fall, she continues to rise another couple of feet.

McKayla Maroney may have been used solely in the vault, but there's no doubt that she earned her place on the American team in London.

Chinese Diving

This slide doesn't require much explanation. If you haven't seen some of the synchronized diving events, you absolutely have to go back and see some of the divers the Chinese sent to London.

I watched plenty of coverage on the event, and of all the countries I saw perform, China was the one where I could never find a single flaw. The Chinese dominated the medal stand in the event, to the surprise of absolutely no one.

How they manage it, I will never know.

Kayla Harrison's Inspirational Victory

Years back, Kayla Harrison was sexually abused by one of her judo coaches. That's shortening the story quite a bit, but no matter what, it's a tragic story.

I absolutely applaud Harrison for the way she reacted. When she was speaking to Dan Patrick on Thursday during Olympic coverage, she admitted that had none of that happened to her, she wouldn't be who she is today.

And who is that person? Kayla Harrison is the first American—man or woman—to ever bring home a gold in the judo event.

It really is amazing to see a woman come back from the abyss and go to the very top of the world, and no story in the games will be as inspiring as Harrison's.

Gabby's Golden Performance

When the Games began, there was a lot of hype for Gabby Douglas, but she was taking a bit of a back seat to Jordyn Wieber.

However, Douglas came away victorious in London, taking the gold medal in the all-around competition.

It's not so much just the fact that she won that's breathtaking; it's how she did it. Apart from a bad misstep in her very first floor routine, Douglas was spot-on for pretty much every single performance that she put on. Her million-dollar smile shined every time she left the floor.

It would seem that the United States has a new face of gymnastics.

Ruta Meilutyte's Gold Rush

It's very possible that the most emotional moment of the games so far was when 15-year-old Lithuanian swimmer Ruta Meilutyte won the gold medal in the 100-meter breaststroke.

What made it so impressive? She did it in absolutely crushing fashion, and you couldn't help but get tears in your eyes when you saw how she reacted upon learning that she'd just won gold.

Meilutyte won big in both the preliminary heats and semifinal rounds and then defeated American swimmer Rebecca Soni by eight hundredths of a second in the medal race.

After the race ended, Meilutyte was (understandably) all smiles and seemed more shocked than anyone that she'd won. It was truly an incredible sight to see, and we probably haven't seen the last of the young Lithuanian.