Actually it was a combination of the Chinese women’s strong performances and the American women’s mistakes that earned China the women’s team gymnastic Gold Medal and the defending Olympic champion US team the Silver Medal. It started off well enough for the US, with all three gymnasts–Alicia Sacramone, Shawn Johnson, and Bridget Sloan–nailed their vaults. Johnson, Nastia Liukin, and Chellsie Memmel (competing with a broken ankle) were outstanding on the uneven bars. However, on the final two aparatuses, the team faltered. Sacramone fell off of the balance beam (below) even before her routine began and she landed on her backside instead of her feet during one tumbling pass in the floor exercises. It was more than enough to give the Chinese women the Gold.

The American team has been plaqued with injuries during and leading up to the Beijing Games. Shayla Worley fractured her leg during the Olympic selection camp. Chellsie Memmel injured her ankle shortly after arriving in China (the extent of which was not revealed until after last night’s competition); and Samantha Peszek injured her ankle just prior to Sunday’s qualifying round and did not compete in the finals on Wednesday.

The Romanian Team earned the Bronze Medal.

Individual competitions begin on Friday (Thursday night on US television). Johnson and Liukin will compete in the all-around event.

(Image of Alicia Sacramone © Newscom)

It wasn’t the start the US women’s gymnastic team would have hoped for. Just minutes before the qualifying competition began, Samatha Peszek injured her ankle, allowing her to compete just on the uneven bars and leaving the US with just four uninjured gymnasts for most of the qualifiying rounds, where teams are allowed to use five members and count the best four scores on each apparatus. (Chellsie Memmel injured her ankle last week and will compete only on the uneven bars.)

And, it seems to get worse from there. Alicia Sacramone led off the floor exercises and landed with two feet out of bounds, a .5 deduction; Memmel, usually stellar on the uneven bars, slipped off of the bar and had to be remounted, ending her dreams for an individual medal; and Nastia Liukin, who can usually be counted on for a rock-solid performance, landed on her derriere instead of her feet on her dismount from the uneven bars. Only Shawn Johnson produced solid performances in all of the events.

Even if it was sometimes difficult to watch, the US women’s combined scores were good enough to put them in second place behind the Chinese women for the team competition. Also qualifying to compete for the team medal are Australia, Russia, Romania, France, Brazil, and Japan.

The American women will also be competing in the individual events. Johnson, Liukin, and Bridget Sloan qualified for the individual all-around competition. Sacramone qualified for the vault. Liukin, Johnson, and Sacramone will compete on the balance beam, Johnson and Liukin will compete in the floor exercises, and Liukin will compete on the uneven bars, having qualified despite the fall.

The women’s gymnastic competition begins on Tuesday.

USA women’s gymnast, Chellsie Memmel suffered an injury to her right ankle at practice on Saturday, just eight days before the women’s Olympic gymnastic competition begins in Beijing on August 10. The extend of her injury was not disclosed. She was at practice on the uneven bars today, but was sporting an air cast through portions on the session and wasn’t practicing her dismounts.

Memmel, 20, is one of the best all-round gymnasts on the American team. She missed the 2004 Games due to a foot injury.

“Memmel is still expected to compete in the Olympic Games,” USA Gymnastics said in a statement issued late Sunday night.

^{(photo © bostonlonghorn/wikipedia commons)}

Image details: 2008 U.S. Olympic Team Trials - Gymnastics Day 4 served by picapp.com

The US women’s Olympic gymnastic team was named yesterday evening, with few surprises. Joining Shawn Johnson and Nastia Liukin in Beijing will be Chellsie Memmel, Alicia Sacramone, Samantha Peszek, and Bridget Sloan (pictured above). The US women are favorites to win the Gold team Medal in Beijing.