LONDON: For 16 years, the Magnificent Seven defined the U.S.
women's Olympic gymnastics program, setting the standard by which every
American team is judged.
There is gold. And there is everything else.
Now , finally , there is the team known as the "Fierce Five."
Jordyn Wieber. Gabby Douglas. McKayla Maroney. Aly Raisman. Kyla Ross.
Teenagers. Champions. And maybe , just maybe , the greatest team of all time.
"Others
might disagree, the '96 team might disagree," coach John Geddert said.
"But this is the best team. Difficulty-wise, consistency-wise, this is
USA's finest."
It's certainly the world's fiercest.
Intimidating
the rest of the eight-team field with an eye-popping vault set in which
the Americans soared so high they may have been picked up on radar at
Heathrow Airport, the U.S. stormed to an emphatic victory that put them
atop the podium for the first time since Kerri Strug and company hobbled
to gold in Atlanta.
Strug became a pixie-cut icon after her
gusty one-legged vault sealing the country's first gold. The image of
her being carried onto the medal stand by coach Bela Karolyi is a
fixture in Olympic montages.
No drama this time. Just dominance. A
good old-fashioned whipping by a program determined to return to the
top. The U.S. posted a score 183.596, more than five points ahead of
Russia and seven clear of Romania.
"They're just so far ahead of anyone else," said Britain's Rebecca Tunney. "They definitely deserve it."
They certainly earned it.
The
Americans have spent the last nine months competing with a target on
their back after running away with the title at last year's world
championships.
It happened, however, on the other side of the
planet. In a non-Olympic year no less. Russia was hobbled. The Romanians
were a mess. And the Americans was still largely anonymous.
Not anymore. Not by a longshot.
Led
by a rejuvenated Wieber, who shook off her disappointing performance in
qualifying to compete with the tenacity that's become her trademark,
the U.S. led after the first rotation and never trailed.
There
were no major miscues in any of their 12 routines. Wieber, who missed
out on the chance to contend for the individual all-around title after
finishing as the third-best American, used a gentle pep talk from good
friend Maroney and a challenge from Geddert to return to her world
championship form.
"I had to put it together mentally, especially
for this team," Wieber said. "A team gold medal was also officially a
goal of mine."
The U.S. has spent the last 16 years trying to
find the right combination of talent and experience to climb back to the
top. Team coordinator Martha Karolyi overhauled the program, attempting
to create a sense of togetherness and chemistry after the U.S. slumped
to a lackluster bronze in Sydney in 2000.
The current crop meets together for training once a month. They Skype and text and chat whenever they get the chance.
And in front of the world with all the pressure on their tiny , but well-muscled , shoulders, they left no doubt.
When
the Americans ripped through three beam routines and took a 1.2-point
cushion into the final rotation the floor, perhaps their second-best
event, even Karolyi could feel the gold being draped over their
shoulders.
"At that moment, I already could envision that we have the medal in our hands," Karolyi said.
A
stunning collapse by the Russians meant the U.S. needed only to stay
upright to claim the title. They did it with style. Wieber, Douglas and
Raisman were flawless, and Raisman burst into tears midway through her
routine knowing years of sacrifice, hard work and determination were
finally within reach.
"We knew we could do it," she said, "we just had to pull out all the stops."
They
did, leading to a final destination years in the making. They shook
hands with their competitors then could barely contain themselves as the
national anthem played.
It's a moment they'd envisioned their entire lives. The reality proved to be even better.
