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Weiber's World Comes Crashing Down in London

Training mentally, physically and emotionally is what an Olympic athlete does for four years in preparation for the biggest moment of their lives. This moment can last just mere seconds, and usually the shorter the better. However sometimes a person who dedicates their life to a skill in hopes of appearing on the biggest stage comes up short. For world champion Jordyn Weiber, this was the sad reality.

No matter how big a favorite an athlete may be for an event, when you're up against the rest of the world that produces phenoms overnight, there are plenty of dark horses. While it was no surprise that the American Women's Gymnastic Team easily outpointed their competition on Sunday, what was a huge surprise was that Jordyn Weiber did not qualify for the women's all around final. Instead it was Gabby Douglas and Aly Raisman who put together terrific performances. The 17 year could not hold back the tears while realizing her dream had been ruined.

As shocking as the results were, the judges were correct in their grading of Weiber as she did have her struggles. On the vault, Weiber was unable to keep her balance and was unable to stay in bounds after a landing. She then struggled greatly on the uneven bars and had trouble holding a consistent handstand. These first two lackluster performances resulted in a tightly contested finish against Douglas and Raisman. After again failing to put forward an impressive performance during the floor exercises, the gold medal favorite was denied the chance to show the world her true potential. These days 3rd place just isn't enough. But should it be?

Until 2004 the top three competitors in women's gymnastics qualified. But gymnastics isn't like swimming anymore. If only the top two qualified in swimming today Michael Phelps would have come up on the short end of the stick. This terrible situation for Wieber raises the question of whether the top three finishers should get the opportunity to compete. Given that the U.S. is one of the top if not the top women's gymnastics teams in the world, there is no doubt that Wieber could beat some of the other countries competitors at her worst. Some people believe the best gymnasts, regardless country, should advance. Unfortunately for Wieber, the rules today do not support that belief.

So as Jordyn Wieber watches others compete on the biggest stage in sports, she will wonder what could have been. The Olympics wouldn't be what they are without surprises. This fact has certainly been on display this past week with Wieber's meltdown as well as Michael Phelps failure to get a medal. But if I could tell Wieber and everyone else for that matter something, its all about how you respond to failure and adversity.


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When you get knocked down you have to get back up,
 Aaron Granoff