Gabby Douglas has already usurped Jordyn Wieber as the leader of Team USA's women's gymnastics team. Douglas and Aly Raisman qualified for the women's individual all-around, but Wieber failed to make the cut.
Douglas was excellent in all-around qualifying. Her performances on the uneven bars, balance beam and in the floor routine were near the top. Overall, she enters the all-around competition on August 2 as the third-place competitor. Raisman is second, Russia's Victoria Komova is first.
We will know Douglas as the best all-around gymnast in the world after her performance in all-around competition. She managed to emerge as her team's go-to performer, and she's getting better as each event passes.
In terms of momentum, Douglas has it all. Wieber wasn't just supposed to be Team USA's best performer; she was considered to be the best all-around gymnast in the entire world. Douglas wasn't considered far behind, but she still wasn't expected to outperform her American teammate.
Once you thwart the best in your sport, what else is there to do? Nothing gets harder than that. Wieber would have made the cut if Team USA was allowed more than two participants, but she was still expected to be one of those two.
With her out of the mix, this now becomes Douglas' time to shine. She has the stage to herself, and Wieber isn't around to best her performance.
Douglas entered London's competition as a favorite to medal. Wieber was the only gymnast who most anticipated would keep her from taking home a gold medal.
Wieber's failure to qualify will allow Douglas to take the word "arguably" out of the equation. She has a chance to take home the most-coveted accolade in a gymnasts' collection, not Wieber.
Expect Douglas to win the all-around gold and become Team USA's unquestioned leader in the process. Wieber is talented, but Douglas' hardware will set her apart on all stages.
These Olympic games will set Douglas' career on an extremely bright path.
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