U.S. women's gymnastics wins gold

LONDON -- One by one, the Americans thundered down the runway, soared high above the vault and slammed into the mat.When the fireworks were over, so was everybody else's chance for the gold medal.The Americans lived up to their considerable hype and then some Tuesday night, routing silver medalist Russia and everybody else on their way to their first Olympic title in women's gymnastics since 1996. Their score of 183.596 was a whopping five points better than Russia's, and set off a debate over whether this is the best U.S. team of all time. Romania won the bronze.The 16-year-old Douglas performed in each of the rotations while Wieber was called on for the floor, vault and uneven bars. Raisman worked the floor and the beam, with Ross performing on the beam and the uneven bars. Maroney was the only U.S. gymnast with just one event but no one on the team registered a score higher than her 16.233 on vault. That score was the highest of all competitors in the team final.

Russia was the primary challenger for the U.S. team in middle stages of the competition but completely fell apart during the floor routine, with two gymnasts falling during their routines. After Russia's mistakes, the U.S. team headed to the floor knowing three solid performances would likely win them the gold. Gabby Douglas, Jordyn Wieber and Aly Raisman delivered impressive floor routines to clinch the first team gold for the U.S. since the "Magnificent Seven" won in 1996. The 16-year-old Douglas performed in each of the rotations while Wieber was called on for the floor, vault and uneven bars. Raisman worked the floor and the beam, with Ross performing on the beam and the uneven bars. Maroney was the only U.S. gymnast with just one event but no one on the team registered a score higher than her 16.233 on vault. That score was the highest of all competitors in the team final.

Russia was the primary challenger for the U.S. team in middle stages of the competition but completely fell apart during the floor routine, with two gymnasts falling during their routines. After Russia's mistakes, the U.S. team headed to the floor knowing three solid performances would likely win them the gold. Gabby Douglas, Jordyn Wieber and Aly Raisman delivered impressive floor routines to clinch the first team gold for the U.S. since the "Magnificent Seven" won in 1996. Kyla Ross, at age 15, the youngest member of the U.S. team, summed up their feelings after winning the gold medal. “It’s definitely really amazing to have this medal around our neck. And to say we’re Olympic champions is definitely something special and something we’ve worked our whole lives for, so it’s definitely a dream come true," she said.

It will be Ali Raisman and Gabby Douglas who will represent the United States in the women’s individual all-around final on Thursday. Three days of individual apparatus finals for men and women begin on Sunday. McKayla Maroney, the fifth member of the U.S. team, who had a spectacular vault in the team event, is in the women’s vault final on Sunday.