The 2012 US Women's Olympic gymnastics team was officially formed July 1 following the conclusion of the trials at San Jose's HP Pavilion. Although the five-member squad includes a wealth of powerhouse talent--likely even enough to take the coveted team gold medal--the rise of said talent meant the exclusion of two stars from 2008 who'd hoped to head to London in search of more glory.
Making the team were trials winner Gabrielle "Gabby" Douglas, reigning World All-Around Champion Jordyn Wieber, vault specialist McKayla Maroney, and rising stars Alexandra "Aly" Raisman and Kyla Ross.
Also named as team replacements were Sarah Finnegan, Elizabeth Price and Anna Li.
Sadly absent from the mix were two ladies who made an impression during the 2008 Games in Beijing. Nastia Liukin, who captured the 2008 All-Around gold in addition to the team silver and three additional individual medals, struggled mightily in San Jose and had virtually no chance of making the squad. Alicia Sacramone, who served as the 2008 team captain, performed well during her two events, but in the face of better--and younger--available talent, she too failed to earn a nod.
Both ladies handled the bad news with grace. Liukin stepped back and applauded her fellow gymnasts from the sidelines, while Sacramone expressed her thoughts via Twitter later in the day, writing, "Thanks to ALL of my supporters! You have been truly amazing! I leave this sport with no regrets and a kick ass comeback to my name!"
Women's 2012 Olympic gymnastics action begins July 29 with qualification rounds.
recommend
Facebook
Twitter
bookmark 
print
