by ANDREA FRENCH Section Editor
Gabby Douglas, Aly Raisman, Jordyn Wieber, McKayla Maroney, and Kyla Ross made up the 2012 Women’s American Gymnastics team, referred to as the ‘Fab 5’. The Fab 5 were the second in U.S. history to win the team gold medal since 1996. The last team to win this gold medal was the Magnificant Seven. However, the Fab 5 managed to captivate the entire country. Each individual story inspired Americans everywhere. Douglas left her family in Virginia Beach, and traveled 1,200 miles away to West Des Moines, Iowa to train with a coach from China, and lived with a family she had never met before. She achieved gold in the women’s all-around competition. Ross and Maroney have been best friends since they were five, and their dream has always been to go to the Olympics together. Maroney is known for vaulting higher than anyone has ever done before. In the Summer Olympics, Maroney performed a perfect vault, yet the judges found a few tenths of a point to deduct. Weiber was favored to win the all-around in this year, but she was beat to the finals by Douglas and Raisman. A new Olympic rule allows only two gymasts from each country to compete in the all-around competition. Weiber ended up qualifying third behind Douglas and Raisman, thus she was not able to compete.
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