Douglas was seventh but may have all but clinched her Olympic team spot a year ago, when she finished second to Biles in the all-around at the world championships.
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After all, this is a gymnast who finished second in the world all-around race just previous year – trailing only Biles, who ran away with her third world title in a row.
Biles, of Spring, Texas, is the three-time reigning world all-around champion and has huge expectations next month in Rio.
Gabrielle Douglas placed 7th in the all around competiton at trials.
They’re going to Rio!
In 2012, she earned two gold medals at the London Olympics: for floor exercise and as part of the team competition.
Laurie Hernandez is only 16, the youngest on the team by several years, and was reportedly a favorite to make the Olympic team after winning the junior all-around national title in 2015. Biles easily won the two-day Olympic trials in San Jose, Calif., cementing her reputation as the best gymnast in the world. But even at an advanced age for gymnastics, Raisman has shown she’s still one of the best in the world. Just prior to the vault, one of the announcers recalled seeing it in practice and referred to it as “the most flawless piece of gymnastics” he had ever seen.
On balance beam, her third rotation, Raisman shined and looked nothing short of superbly confident.
As the red, white and blue confetti fell inside the SAP Center on Sunday night, Aly Raisman reached out her right hand and called for her fellow new U.S. Olympians to join in on a quick team cheer. It’ll be between her and Hernandez for the final spot in the all-around final and probably in the balance beam final. Now, she is really going to live up to her grandma name. Three gymnasts will compete on each of the four events, and Karolyi and the selection committee scrutinized each gymnast’s routine to figure out which combination of programs would yield the highest overall score.
Gymnastics isn’t like swimming and track and field where trials winners advance to the Olympics and the losers stay home. “I didn’t realize how much mentally and physically older I got in the past four years, so looking back at this little girl watching the Olympics on her phone, I would never think I’d be here right now”. The momentum this time was so strong that she won virtually everything as a junior in her final season before the Olympic Trials 2016.
At 22, Raisman is the oldest gymnast on the US squad.
Douglas, meanwhile, overcame some less-than-stellar competitions.
Locklear and Madison Kocian were the strongest hopefuls on the uneven bars, which is considered the weakest link for Team USA. And although Locklear, the defending USA bars champion, has averaged more than a half-point more than Douglas on the event this year, Douglas ultimately got the nod. He has six Olympic gold medals. Let’s not forget, though, that Douglas is also heading to Rio with the goal of making history again. Despite her area of expertise, Kocian is expected to contribute to the other events as well.
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A combination that includes Douglas, who hopped off beam during both rounds at trials and has openly talked about her sagging confidence.
