Recap of the World Championships

This post is a little belated, but a late post is better than no post at all, so . . .

I'm happy to say that the USA went home (on the women's side) with three gold medals and two bronze medals. Not bad! The U.S. won the team gold, the all-around gold with Jordyn Wieber, and the vault gold with McKayla Maroney. The bronzes were for Jordyn Wieber on balance beam, and Alexandra Raisman on floor exercise. What a group of talented girls!

This afternoon marks the first day of gymnastics competition at the Pan-American Games. I can't wait to see Shawn Johnson perform in an international competition for the first time since 2008! Good luck USA!

The 43rd Gymnastics World Championships

Every year, the gymnastics World Championships is held in October, and I look forward to watching the intense competition and amazing athletics. Gymnastics (especially the women’s, which I’m more interested in) is a wonderful sport, and I have been following it for quite some time now. My favorite gymnast is Alicia Sacramone, a 2008 Olympian and 2010 World Championships medalist on vault---and she made this year’s Worlds team!

The list of the women who made the team was announced last night via USA Gymnastics on Facebook. The members are:

1. Alicia Sacramone

2. Jordyn Wieber

3. Anna Li

4. Gabrielle Douglas

5. Alexandra Raisman

6. McKayla Maroney

I was very pleased with this list. Jordyn Wieber won the all-around at the 2011 American Cup (over 2010 World all-around gold medalist Aliya Mustafina of Russia), and she definitely deserves to be on the team. I sent Jordyn a fan letter congratulating her on her American Cup win this year, and, to my surprise, she sent me a signed photo of herself! So it’s extra nice for me seeing her reach such a great height.

Also, the list of the women who made the Pan American Games team was also announced last night. The members are:

1. Bridgette Caquatto

2. Jessie DeZiel

3. Brandi Jay

4. Shawn Johnson

5. Chellsie Memmel

6. Bridget Sloan

This is also a fantastic list. I’m so glad for the new American stars (Bridgette, Jessie, and Brandie), and also thrilled for the 2008 Olympic team veterans (Shawn, Chellsie, and Bridget), who have been making successful comebacks.

Until very recently, I did not know that Bridget Sloan was returning to the sport this quickly, but I’d seen Shawn Johnson and Chellsie Memmel at the Visa Championships, where they both looked incredible. I hope that all four Olympic teammates (including Alicia Sacramone) can be seriously considered for next year’s Olympic Games. I think this is highly possible, if they keep improving from where they are now.

Congratulations to all the gymnasts! And I hope that Mackenzie Caquatto, (who most likely would have made the Worlds team if not for her injury), gets better soon. :-)

I can’t wait for the competitions to begin!