Gymnast Gabby Douglas Qualifies For London, Nastia Liukin Out

by uInterviewJuly 2, 2012, 12:00 amNews >

Underdog U.S. gymnast Gabby Douglas edged out favorite Jordyn Wieber on Sunday, wining the Olympic Trials and claiming the lone spot for the London games. Douglas beat out Wieber by a thin margin of 0.1 to win the all-around title.

"Everyone was telling me you have this great potential and you can be on top," Douglas said in a statement obtained by ESPN. "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."

Fellow gymnast Shawn Johnson, who competed in the 2008 Beijing Games but retired from competition a month ago, said Douglas has a fighting chance to win big in London. "Gabby is progressing rapidly and I think she has not peaked yet," Johnson told The Chicago Tribune. "She has yet to show the world what she is capable of. But she is a real spitfire. She's got the attitude — the spunk, the sass."

Despite losing her second all-around competition, Wieber was nothing but joyful for her victorious teammate. "I'm really proud of everyone, but especially Gabby," she stated. "She had such an amazing performance."

As the window of opportunity opened for Douglas, the same could not be said for 2008's gold medal winner, Nastia Liukin (pictured). Liukin, who announced her comeback last October, failed to qualify for a spot in the London games this summer after finishing 10th on the uneven bars and seventh on the beam during the trials.

Despite all the love and support she received from friends, family members, and a standing ovation from the audience, it was not enough to keep the tears from flowing as Liukin’s comeback attempt for the Olympics came to an unfortunate ending. "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," Liukin said in a statement. "Today is something that I'll remember for the rest of my life. It can easily compare to winning the all-around gold medal to me. Those are pretty much the two highlights of my career … winning an all-around gold medal and getting a standing ovation not once but twice."