Olympics: Gymnastics
A closer look at the gymnastics events and key competitors such as U.S. gymnast Alexandra Raisman, who won gold in London for her floor exercise. A look at the complex tumbling pass that normally opens her routine:
Gabrielle Douglas: Flying high
Kohei Uchimura: Superman takes flight
Danell Leyva: Swinging to a medal
McKayla Maroney: Vaulting into the spotlight
Jordyn Wieber: Bouncing back on balance beam
John Orozco: Flying high
Gabrielle Douglas: Flying high
U.S. gymnast Gabrielle Douglas won the women’s all-around title and also helped the American team win a gold medal in London with a strong routine on the uneven bars. Here is a closer look at a sequence that includes a highflying Tkachev move:
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Douglas swings freely through a handstand from the high bar and releases into a Tkachev. |
She swings forward into a back flip and catches the low bar. |
After changing direction on the low bar, she shoots to the high bar with another flying split. |
Kohei Uchimura: Superman takes flight
Japanese gymnast Kohei Uchimura, known by his peers as Superman, won Olympic gold after taking consecutive all-around titles at three world championships, where his floor routine took gold in 2011. A sample tumbling pass:
Danell Leyva: Swinging to a medal
U.S. gymnast Danell Leyva won bronze in the all-around competition in London, thanks in part to a top score on parallel bars. Here is a look at his giant swing combination:
McKayla Maroney: Vaulting into the spotlight
U.S. gymnast McKayla Maroney earned the top score among all competitors during the team finals in London by executing a nearly flawless vault known as an Amanar. Maroney later took a silver medal in vault during the individual apparatus competition.
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Maroney performs a round-off onto the springboard and a back handspring entry to the vault. |
Powerfully rebounding off the vault table, she soars high into the air. |
Maroney executes a 2 1/2 twist in the layout position. |
She must stick the blind forward landing to avoid a scoring deduction. |
Jordyn Wieber: Bouncing back on balance beam
U.S. gymnast Jordyn Wieber bounced back from a bobble on the balance beam in the qualifying round to help the American women win gold in the team event. A look at a key combination in her beam routine:
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Wieber executes a back somersault with a full twist … |
… with her hips rotating over her head. |
A back handspring completes the three-element combination. |
John Orozco: Flying high
After his championship performance at the recent U.S. Olympic Trials, John Orozco finished eighth in the all-around competition at the London Olympics. A look at one of his key high bar releases:
