SAN JOSE, Calif. - Long called an underdog, Gabby Douglas likes her new label a whole lot more - Olympian.
The 16-year-old with the spectacular uneven bars routine and personality to spare upset world champion Jordyn Wieber for the first time Sunday night to win the title at the U.S. Olympic trials.
"Everyone was telling me you have this great potential and you can be on top," Douglas said. "I didn't believe that, but everyone was just telling me to believe in myself. I did and I'm kind of up on top and it's amazing."
Led by the 1-2 punch of Douglas and Wieber, this will be the strongest team the Americans have had since 1996, expected to bring home only the second Olympic team gold. McKayla Maroney and Aly Raisman, who were with Douglas and Wieber on the U.S. team that won the title at last fall's world championships, also made the team, as did Kyla Ross.
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Maroney is the world vault champion. Ross, not old enough to be on last year's world team, is a two-time U.S. champion.
"The truth is going to come out (in London) ... that we are solidly the first-place team," said Bela Karolyi, whose wife, Martha, is the national team coordinator.
Douglas is so light and quick as she flies between the uneven bars, her signature event, that Martha Karolyi has dubbed her the "Flying Squirrel."
One gymnast who won't be in London, at least not as a competitor, is Olympic champion Nastia Liukin. She announced her comeback last October, hoping to become the first Olympic champion to return to the games since Nadia Comaneci in 1980. But desire and grit are no match for shoulder problems and a three-year layoff, and Liukin fell on the uneven bars, her signature event. The crowd gave her a standing ovation, and she regrouped with a nice balance beam routine.
"Of course I wanted to go out and put two good performances out there and end my career that way, so it's a little upsetting," a tearful Liukin said.
Wieber has been considered the favorite for Olympic gold since winning the world title last fall over Russians Aliya Mustafina and Viktoria Komova. Turns out, her real rival was right here at home. Determined to make the Olympics, Douglas left her hometown of Virginia Beach, Va., two years ago to train with Shawn Johnson's coach, Liang Chow, in West Des Moines, Iowa.
Needing to score a 15.25 or better Sunday to pass Wieber, Douglas put on a show worthy of Vegas on the floor exercise. When she finished, Chow greeted her with a bear hug. And that was before they saw her score: a 15.3 that gave her a total of 123.45, enough to hold off Wieber.
Douglas opened with a big vault for a score of 16 to move into first. She extended the lead on uneven bars with a 15.9 to take a 1.35-point lead over Wieber with two events left. Douglas faltered on the balance beam with a 14.85 but held off Wieber, who ended with an average vault.
"I definitely think it's going to give me more motivation," Wieber said about finishing second to Douglas.
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