Right after the U.S. women march out for their subdivision during the first round of competition at the 2011 World Championships Saturday, 15-year-old Gabrielle Douglas will face the biggest test of her young career. After a rocky U.S. Championships, where she recorded multiple falls on balance beam, Douglas will now likely be the U.S.'s first performer on beam at Worlds, setting the table for the Americans for the rest of the meet. Although some fear she may not be ready, Evan Heiter believes Douglas is destined for great things.
By Evan Heiter
Douglas does.
Hate me for speculating a year before the Olympics, but you do it as well. Gabby Douglas fits onto the 2012 Olympic team and I’ll tell you why: she competes all-around and she has an entire year to get better.
It’s no secret that Gabby melted wicked witch style at this year’s U.S. Championships. But one also has to wonder that if said meltdown was as monumental as some people make it out to be, why was she not only placed on a team, but a World team at that?
The answer (this year) is bars. Douglas has a stellar set, but it serves to note that she’s not letting go of the bar seven consecutive times…she’s merely executing a well-constructed set to the best of her ability. If podium training is any indication, she has improved her post-pirouette handstand positions even since Nationals.
As I see it, the Olympic team will not be built around bars, but floor exercise. The lowest-scoring event in this quadrennium and code, floor will be a good basis for London’s team. I’m not saying Douglas is on her way to a floor final in Tokyo, especially with her Jersey Shore club beats, but if you look at this routine as the starting point for her set in the Olympic year, upgrades are possible -- as is already evident with the addition of her tucked full-in.
With a probable Amanar in her arsenal and the ability to count on bars, I see Gabby knocking out some of the bigger names for the London squad. In the ’05-’08 quad, when the U.S. was focused on vault, an inexperienced Samantha Peszek was thrust into the finals lineup for the pivotal event. Douglas could find herself on a similar path, albeit on bars. She has the ability to surprise in the Tokyo all-around final with a consistent day in prelims and Aly Raisman’s trademark uneven bars holding strong.
With no proven track record, Douglas steps onto the world stage with doubters. Who fits for London? Someone at USA Gymnastics and this guy have the confidence to say, “Douglas does.”
Evan Heiter was a member of the Michigan men's team that won the NCAA Gymnastics Championship in 2010. His entertaining Twitter feed is here.
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