5 things to look forward to in London!

1. The all around show down!
It's what we've all been waiting for! The battle that will decide the 2012 Olympic all around champion. It's the most anticipated part of the entire women's gymnastics competition and this year the field is stronger than ever! The USA's best bets are Jordyn Wieber who's been a favorite for a long time, along with Gabby Douglas who's proved to be a serious contender going into London. But the battle won't just be between the Americans, they will have some tough foreign competition including the 2010 World champion Aliya Mustafina who's coming back from an knee injury and the 2010 Youth Olympic games champion, Viktoria Komova who is hungry for the gold after placing 2nd to Wieber at last year's world championships. There is also first year senior and Romania's new star Larisa Iordache who has done very well in competition this year. I'm sure we've all been thinking about this day since the beginning of 2009 when the new stars began to emerge. Over the last 4 years we've speculated and debated over who truly is the best...and now it's time to find out. Tune into NBC on August 2nd at 8:00pm ET to watch the competition.

2. Will Yamilet Pena land the produnova?
It's the most difficult vault currently in the code of points (17.0 start value) and she is the only female gymnast competing this vault. In competition, Yamilet has been struggling with this vault and has only landed it once in competition, scoring a 15.700. (Watch it here) So far in London, Pena has not stood up the vault, although her landings have looked better than what we're used to seeing. If Yamilet Pena can pull this vault off, she could medal in the vault finals!

3. Qualifications...it will make you or break you.
Since no medals are given out after the qualification round of competition, many people think this day is no big deal. For some gymnasts, this may be the only day they get to compete and for others it's the day that will make or break their dreams. One slip up, and you could miss qualifying to the all around or event finals. The qualification is actually the most important meet of the games because it's what sets you up for winning more medals throughout! In other words, this meet will determine your fate.

4. History being made!
There are so many possible outcomes for these games and history can be made in so many ways depending on what happens.

• If Jordyn Wieber wins the all around she will be the first American gymnast to consecutively win the world championships and go on to win the Olympics. (And only the 2nd person in gymnastics history!)
•  If Gabby Douglas wins the all around, she will be the first ever African American gymnast to become Olympic champion. 
• Team USA enters this Olympics with the youngest team they've ever had! Kyla Ross is the youngest at age 15. The oldest is Aly Raisman at age 18. 
• Germany's Oksana Chusovitina will be competing in her 6th Olympic games, which is the most any gymnast has ever attended. 
• Lim Heem Wei  is the first gymnast from Singapore to qualify to the Olympics.
• If Mckayla Maroney wins the vault title (as expected) she will be the first ever American to do so.

5. Team Finals

We're pretty excited for the Team Finals because we know it will be a close battle between the USA, Romania, and Russia. While many people think the title is the USA's to loose, Romania and Russia will be close on their heels. I'm hoping that the USA will come out on top because they came so close in 2008. These girls have what it takes to be a champion and I know they won't go down without a fight! Aside from the All Around, the Team Final will be one of the most intense showdowns of the summer!

What are you most looking forward to in London? Let us know below!

(Photo belongs to USA Gymnastics)