SAN JOSE, Calif. — Jordyn Wieber looks ready for London. As for the rest of the U.S. women, they still have some work to do.
The reigning world champion was about the only one not affected by nerves Friday, breezing through the first night of the Olympic trials and all but ensuring herself the lone guaranteed spot on the five-woman London team. Wieber finished with 61.7 points, 0.3 points ahead of Gabby Douglas, who had to work out of a hole after making a big error on uneven bars, her first event.
Only the winner of the two-day trials competition is guaranteed a spot on the five-woman London team, with the remaining four to be picked by a selection committee following Sunday night’s competition.
“Pretty bad,” Wieber said about wanting that top spot. “I try not to think about the standings, but at the same time, everyone wants that guaranteed spot.”
Heck, some will be happy with a spot after their sloppy performances Friday night.
Aly Raisman, normally rock steady, finished a distant third after a big wobble on balance beam and going out of bounds on floor exercise, where she is the reigning world bronze medalist. Kyla Ross landed her vault on her backside and was fifth. McKayla Maroney fell off both uneven bars and balance beam and was seventh.
Wieber, the favorite for the all-around title in London, started piling up the points from the minute she took the floor. Wieber does one of the hardest vaults in the world — a roundoff onto the takeoff board, back handspring onto the vault and then 2½ twists before landing — yet makes it look as easy as a simple cartwheel. She did land with her knees a bit locked, but it didn’t cost her much.
She ended her night with a rousing floor routine that may as well have been a victory lap. Floor is the one event the stoic Wieber lets her personality show, and she was even sassier than normal as she strutted and pranced through her dance moves. She stuck the landings of her tumbling runs so emphatically you could hear it throughout the arena, and when she finished with her hands thrust in the air, the arena erupted.
“I just loved the way she attacked it,” said coach John Geddert. “She had some issues, so there’s room for improvement and it’s my job to point that out. I don’t think we’ve ever had a meet where I didn’t say, ‘There are things to improve.’ We’re still waiting for the perfect meet.”
