London 2012 Festival celebrates a summer of success as it hands the cultural baton to Derry~Londonderry, Glasgow and Rio

The London 2012 Festival today released audience figures to the end of August 2012. Figures for the remaining period of the Festival will be announced later this autumn.

·         19.5 million people join in UK wide London 2012 Festival

·         16.5 million free opportunities draw new audiences

·         9 out of 10 people attending events agree London was right to make culture a key pillar of the Games

This summer, London 2012 Festival, a 12-week UK-wide celebration that brought together leading artists from across the world with the very best from the UK, saw more than 19.5 million people take part in its series of cultural events programmed to celebrate the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games.

The figures showed that more than 3 million people took part in paid for events up to the end of August, including more than 1,450,000 who attended paid exhibitions in museums and galleries, and over 600,000 people who attended paid for events, performances and exhibitions as part of the World Shakespeare Festival.

Up to the end of August, 16.5 million people had taken advantage of free London 2012 Festival events including 2.9 million who joined in with Martin Creed’s All The Bells artwork. The ten most popular free events excludingAll the Bells accounted for 11.5 million attendances, and 7 million attendances were made to the top ten most popular free exhibitions in museums and galleries.

Polling by London 2012 research partner Neilson has shown that 9 out of 10 people who attended the London 2012 Festival said that it was a positive addition to the Olympic and Paralympic Games and 84% of people enjoyed the Festival. The Festival has been successful in attracting new audiences to cultural events - of those who attended London 2012 Festival events two thirds said they would like to attend more cultural events like the London 2012 Festival in the future. Placing culture back as a key pillar of the Games has made a positive impact with a third of people surveyed saying they will take part in arts, culture and entertainment events as a result of the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games.

The final week of the London 2012 Festival saw the opening of major new commissions, including the Scottish dancer, choreographer and artist Michael Clark’s Barrowlands Project which invited local people in Glasgow to perform alongside professional dancers; Branches: The Nature of Crisis, Argentine choreographer and director Constanza Macras’s new site-specific show in the forests of North Wales, bringing art to unusual places; and legendary European director Calixto Bieito presented the world premiere of Forests, inspired by Shakespeare’s plays and sonnets, at Birmingham’s Old Rep Theatre.

There were also a number of major musical celebrations and free participatory events that reflected many of the core values of the programme. Africa Express went on its musical journey on board a train across the UK, with its collective of musicians from Africa, Europe and USA playing pop-up gigs and shows; in London, Thames Festival: Homage to Rio celebrated Rio de Janeiro’s music and culture, with a Rio-style carnival float; Mandala lit up the facades of Birmingham Town Hall and Nottingham Council House with a bold fusion of South Asian dance, music and ground-breaking 3D projection; in the UK’s biggest night of classical music, The Last Night of the Proms 2012 brought the end of the eight-week season of concert and events to a close; and an estimated 6,000 performers participated in more than 220 bandstands across the UK as part ofBandstand Marathon – Communities in Tune, in the final participatory event of the London 2012 Festival.

The focus now turns to Derry-Londonderry, UK City of Culture 2013; Glasgow 2014 and Rio 2016.  The London 2012 Festival has established key partnerships with each city to programme new commissions, events and performances that continue into 2013 and beyond.  

Derry~Londonderry, UK City of Culture 2013

Small City Becomes Huge, a new artwork by leading UK artist David Shrigley, was unveiled at the City of London Guildhall on 8 September. Specially commissioned in collaboration with the Mayor of London and Derry~Londonderry UK City of Culture 2013, the work will be presented at the Derry~Londonderry Guildhall later this year, connecting the two venues through a humorous twist on history. Taking the style of an Evening Standard publicity board, the headline reads 'Small City Becomes Huge'. This statement nods to the influence of the Guildhalls in the wealth and cultural influence of both cities. It also references the recent spotlight on London as a consequence of the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games, a spotlight that will soon transfer to Derry~Londonderry as 2013 UK City of Culture.

Glasgow 2014

Creative Scotland and London 2012 Festival co-commissioned the celebrated dance and choreographer Michael Clark’s takeover of the renowned Glasgow Barrowland Ballroom on the final weekend of the London 2012 Festival.

Rio 2016

A series of collaborations have seen Brazilian artists working alongside artists from the UK as part of the London 2012 Festival.

·         Rio Occupation saw 30 Brazilian artists living and working with their British counterparts in London for 30 days this summer, creating new works of art inspired by their time in the city. A return invasion is planned for April 2013, when Rio de Janeiro is inviting London artists to invade their city as they start their journey to the Olympic and Paralympic Games in 2016.  

·         In partnership with Prefeitura da Cidade do Rio de Janeiro/Secretaria de Cultura, FUNARTE and the Museu Bispo do Rosário Arte Contemporânea, the V&A presents an exhibition featuring over 80 sculptures, hand-embroidered banners, garments and other artworks by one of Brazil’s most acclaimed artists, Arthur Bispo do Rosario(1909-1989). Admitted to a psychiatric hospital at the age of 29, Bispo’s creations were made in complete isolation from the art establishment, however his ‘outsider’ art has long been celebrated for its skill and imaginative approach to working with everyday, found materials. The exhibition runs until 28 October and Arthur Bispo do Rosario’s works is also featured in the 2012 Sao Paulo Biennale.

·         Big Dance is another project that now looks towards Rio in 2014. Following a successful programme which featured many Brazilian dance projects, plans are developing for Big Dance to be adopted by Brazil as part of the Cultural Olympiad for the World Cup in 2014 and Rio 2016 in partnership with the British Council.

·         Over 2,000 Brazilian and British performers, eleven floats, six sound systems and numerous walking music band members and costumed groups took part in Rio London Collaboration at the One Hackney Festival to welcome the Olympic Flame to the London 2012 Host Borough of Hackney.

·         Thames Festival: Homage to Rio presented the largest Carnival commission ever seen in the UK, created by Rio Carnival designer Renato Lage and leading UK designer Paul McLaren. Performers and artists from Rio and the UK brought to life a presentation of a Rio-style float, which was accompanied by sets from Brazilian DJs and performances by Samba and Mas Bands working with Rio carnival artists.

·         As part of the Unlimited commissions, Candoco, saw guest dancers from Beijing and Rio de Janeiro join Candoco's own international company of disabled and non-disabled dancers.

·         In Lawnmowers Theatre: Boomba Down the Tyne, Opaxoro samba group of dancers, Orquestra Sertau from the North East of Brazil and the Lawnmowers Theatre Company from the North East of England came together for large-scale SambaCeilidh performances of music, dance and theatre that celebrated the cultures and the spirits of the English Blaydon Races and the Brazilian Boi Bumba.

The London 2012 Festival ends with projects reflecting the two main themes inspired by the Olympic and Paralympic Games. For Unlimited, London 2012 Festival presented the largest ever series of commissions by disabled and deaf artists, celebrating their work on an unprecedented scale across the UK with 29 commissions and many events timed to coincide with the Paralympic Games.

Later in September, London 2012 Festival events continue with Olafur Eliasson’s Little Sun project and Peace One Day, drawing on the theme of the Olympics and of the Olympic Truce. Central to the first Olympic Games held in 776 BC, the Olympic Truce encourages nations to cease hostilities and set aside conflict during the Olympic Games. Sixteen short Little Sunfilms made by eighteen young, internationally acclaimed filmmakers from Africa, the Middle East, Asia, and South America – regions of the world facing energy shortage – will be premiered at Tate Modern followed by a discussion led by the artist; and for the Peace One Day - Global Truce Countdown on 21 September, Elton John will headline the concert at Wembley Arena on World Peace Day, when artists from the London 2012 Festival will hand over the inspiration of the Olympic Truce to artists working towards Rio 2016.

Maria Miller, Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, said: “The London 2012 Festival was a brilliant celebration of, and showcase for, the very best of the UK’s creativity.  It has done a huge amount to reinforce London’s reputation as one of the world’s top cultural destinations.  And with such a huge range of events - many of them free - this truly was a festival for everyone”.

Tony Hall, Chair of the Cultural Olympiad Board, said: “London 2012 Festival has been a spectacular finale to the four-year Cultural Olympiad, a summer of events that has offered everyone the opportunity to take part in the celebrations for the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games. This has been a summer of new participation in the arts, of new partnerships and of renewed appreciation for our cultural sector here in the UK. I must pay tribute to the vision and creativity of the London 2012 Festival team and our partners, who have helped to bring the London 2012 Festival programme to all four corners of the UK.”

Ruth Mackenzie, Director of London 2012 Festival, said: “We are delighted by the overwhelming response to the Festival programme, which showcased the world’s leading artists alongside the stars of the sports world, and would like to thank the artists and audiences for creating so many inspiring and lasting memories of the London 2012 Festival.”

Alan Davey, Chief Executive of Arts Council England said: "One of the many great things about London 2012 has been the success of the Cultural Olympiad, showing that the conjunction of body and spirit is something that works. I am proud that the Arts Council has been able to help make this incredible achievement happen.

"For the past four years our artists have pushed boundaries and excited and inspired audiences of all ages. Projects have engaged hundreds of thousands of people across the country, like All The Bells, Big Dance, the Summer Reading Challenge and BT River of Music, and I hope that part of the legacy will be that more people make the arts an even bigger part of their lives."

Moira Swinbank, CEO of Legacy Trust UK said: “Legacy Trust UK is delighted that through our support of the Cultural Olympiad and London 2012 Festival so many people across the UK have had the opportunity to celebrate the London 2012 Games.  Our wide range of innovative cultural and sporting activities have provided real opportunities for individuals and communities to engage in different ways, and deliver a living legacy beyond 2012. We are particularly proud to have been the major and instigating funder for high profile Festival events such as Land of Giants in Belfast, Speed of Light in Edinburgh and Games Time in Northampton, to name but a few of more than 100 projects the Trust is funding as part of the Cultural Olympiad and London 2012 Festival.”

Rt Hon Dame Janet Paraskeva DBE, Chair of the Olympic Lottery Distributor said: “We are pleased that National Lottery funding has brought such a wide range of events to people all across the UK as part of the London 2012 Festival. The summer of sport has been complemented by a festival of cultural events on an unprecedented scale”.

Peter Mather, Group Regional Vice President, Europe and Head of Country, UK, BP, said: “We are delighted to have been part of this world-class Festival as Premier Partner. This has been a four-year journey, and we congratulate the LOCOG team and our partners - the National Portrait Gallery, British Museum, Royal Opera House, Royal Shakespeare Company and Tate - on creating an unforgettable, once-in-a-lifetime celebration and a fitting finale to a ground-breaking Cultural Olympiad.”

Suzi Williams, director, BT Group Marketing and Brand, said: “From the very beginning BT understood that the London 2012 Games would be about more than sport - that’s why we became a Premier Partner of the Cultural Olympiad and the London 2012 Festival. We set out to help as many people as possible experience the exciting London 2012 atmosphere for free. Through BT River of Music and our Road to 2012 project with the National Portrait Gallery, we’ve connected hundreds of thousands of people across the UK with London 2012, helping to create their own personal Olympic and Paralympic memories.”

The London 2012 Cultural Olympiad was the largest cultural celebration in the history of the modern Olympic and Paralympic Movements. Spread over four years, it was designed to give everyone in the UK a chance to be part of London 2012 and inspire creativity across all forms of culture, especially among young people.

The culmination of the Cultural Olympiad was the London 2012 Festival, the spectacular 12-week nationwide celebration bringing together leading artists from across the world with the very best from the UK, running from Midsummers Day on 21 June until the final day of the Paralympic Games on 9 September 2012. The London 2012 Festival celebrated the huge range, quality and accessibility of the UK’s world-class culture including dance, music, theatre, the visual arts, fashion, film, comedy and digital innovation, giving the opportunity for people across the UK to celebrate the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games.

Principal funders of the Cultural Olympiad and London 2012 Festival are Arts Council England, Legacy Trust UK and the Olympic Lottery Distributor. BP and BT are Premier Partners of the Cultural Olympiad and the London 2012 Festival.

Supporters of the London 2012 Festival are BMW, Eurostar, Freshfields, King’s College London, Panasonic, Samsung, Arts Council of Northern Ireland, Arts Council of Wales, BBC, British Council, Creative Scotland, DCAL, DCMS, Festivals Edinburgh, Mayor Of London, Northern Ireland Tourist Board, Visit Britain and Visit Scotland.

Raisman earns two medals at 2012 Olympics: Team USA's first ever gold medal on floor, bronze medal on beam

LONDON, England – Alexandra Raisman of Needham, Mass./Brestyan's American Gymnastics, won the first all-time U.S. gold medal on floor exercise and the bronze medal on balance beam tonight at the 2012 Olympic Games in London. The medals were the fourth and fifth for the women's 2012 Olympic Champion Fierce Five and the sixth overall for the Team USA. The Fierce Five earned three gold, silver and bronze at the 2012 Olympics, while Danell Leyva of Miami/Team Hilton HHonors (Universal Gymnastics) took home the men's individual all-around bronze.

Raisman's three Olympic medals (two individual and one team) make her the most decorated U.S. gymnast at the 2012 Olympics.

Five U.S. Olympians competed in the third and final day of event finals: Leyva and Jonathan Horton of Houston/Team Hilton HHonors (Cypress Gymnastics) on horizontal bar; Raisman, and Gabby Douglas of Virginia Beach, Va./Chow's Gymnastics, on balance beam; and Jordyn Wieber of DeWitt, Mich./Gedderts' Twistars USA, and Raisman on women's floor exercise.

Inwomen's floor exercise, Wieber went second and Raisman went third. Wieber hopped slightly on her first pass, a double twisting double back, and went out of bounds on her second pass. She hit a nice third and fourth pass to score a 14.500, for seventh place.

Raisman did a magnificent routine complete with her one-and-a-half twist to double Arabian, punch layout front for her first pass, a piked double Arabian to jump second pass, a triple full for her third pass, and a double pike to jump for her final pass to score a 15.600 and win the gold medal. Raisman's gold medal is the first gold medal on floor exercise for the U.S. women and the eighth medal on floor overall.

Raisman said, "It feels amazing. I have been working so hard, so to have it come true is so exciting. I have always dreamed of being the Olympic Champion on floor, so I was really happy to be able to do the floor routine of my life here today."

Wieber said, "I knew that it was going to have to take a lot of details in the routine with all the landings. I did step out of bounds, and I knew at that point that it wouldn't be enough. I tried to still fight through and finish the routine strong."

Romania's Catalina Ponor won the silver with a score of 15.200 and Aliya Mustafina of Russia the bronze with a 14.900.

In the balance beam finals, Douglas was up sixth and Raisman was up eighth. Douglas had difficulties on a leap and fell off the beam. She finished strong with her dismount -- a flip-flop, flip-flop, double pike to score a 13.633 for seventh place. Raisman hit a nice routine complete with her front tuck, flip flop, layout series, and double Arabian dismount. Her score was flashed as a 14.966, but after a successful appeal the score was raised to a 15.066, the same score as Romania's Catalina Ponor. Due to the tie-breaking procedures, Raisman had a higher execution score than Ponor, so Raisman earned the bronze medal. Raisman's bronze medal on the beam makes the eighth all-time Olympic medal for the USA on balance beam.

Raisman said, "I felt really good on my beam routine today and I'm happy that it was good enough for bronze. This day has been so crazy and really special. I am really excited to celebrate with my family and friends tonight."

Douglas said, "I'm a little disappointed in my performance today, but I'm going home with two gold medals which is great. I gave it my all today, but it wasn't my day to shine."

China grabbed the gold and silver medals with Deng Linlin in first with a score of 15.600 and Sui Lu in second with a 15.500.

On the horizontal bar, Leyva was the first gymnast to compete and didn't disappoint. He hit his routine complete with full Takamoto, Yamawaki, Liukin, layout Kovacs and double twisting double layout dismount among others to score a 15.833 for fifth place.

Horton also hit a solid routine with a Cassina, layout Kovacs, Kolman Tak full and a double twisting double layout dismount to score a 15.466, which was good for sixth place.

Leyva said, "It (my routine) felt great. High bar finals was crazy today, and people say I have a crazy routine but I came up a little short on the crazy department today. Finals is really different because there is no one-touch and it makes you a little more nervous. I just wanted to go out and hit my routine. I'm happy that I'm done."

Horton said, "I had the lowest start value and I spent the last five to six days trying to upgrade my start value, but it just wasn't consistent enough to do. I knew I couldn't medal if everyone else hit, but I wanted to go out and hit the cleanest, nicest routine I could do. And that's what I did except for the step on the dismount. I hit all of my release moves right on. I'm pleased with my routine."

Epke Zonderland of the Netherlands won the gold medal showing three major release moves in a row to score a 16.533. Fabian Hambuchen of Germany grabbed the silver medal with a score of 16.400 and Zou Kai of China won the bronze with a score of 16.366.

In the parallel bars event final, the gold medal was awarded to Feng Zhe of China, scoring a 15.966. Germany's Marcel Nguyen won the silver with a score of 15.800, and France's Sabot Hamilton won bronze with a 15.566. The U.S. did not have a competitor in the parallel bars final.

Gymnastics concludes at the Olympic Games with Rhythmic Gymnastics on Aug. 9-10 at Wembley Arena. Julie Zetlin of Bethesda, Md./Capital Rhythmics, will compete for the USA.

Ways to follow the Olympic Games include:

• USAGym.org, the USA Gymnastics official website, is a great source for information about the sport: latest news, the schedule of its premier events, athlete biographies, videos, photo galleries, live scoring from major events and more. USA Gymnastics also has usagymclub.org, which is a resource center for parents of potential and existing gymnasts.
• TeamUSA.org, the U.S. Olympic Committee's website will also be a good resource for information on the Team USA in London.
• Facebook - USA Gymnastics has an official Facebook page, www.facebook.com/USAGymnastics, which carries USA Gymnastics information and activities for fans. The USOC's official Facebook page is www.facebook.com/USOlympicTeam
• Twitter - USA Gymnastics has an official Twitter feed -- @usagym. The USOC's Twitter feed is @usolympic.
• NBCOlympics.com - NBC is the broadcast and web source for coverage and news on the Olympic Games. NBCOlympics.com will carry live coverage of every gymnastics session as well as all sports, and maintain an archive for on-demand coverage. A special "Live Extra" app for smartphones and tablets is available as well. For gymnastics, viewing options will include a single "integrated" feed showing various competitors (akin to watching on TV), plus separate feeds for each apparatus.
  Check your local listings for dates and times in your area here: http://www.nbcolympics.com/tv-listings/index.html.
• YouTube - USA Gymnastics has an official YouTube Channel, www.youtube.com/usagymnasticsorg, which features routines of the top gymnasts from various events, interviews, etc. The USOC's YouTube Channel is www.youtube.com/TeamUSA.

Maroney Wins Vault Silver Medal at 2012 Olympic Games

LONDON, England – McKayla Maroney of Long Beach, Calif./All Olympia, won the silver medal on vault today inside the North Greenwich Arena at the 2012 Olympic Games. Maroney's is the third Olympic silver vault medal for the U.S. women (Mary Lou Retton in 1984 and Annia Hatch in 2004).
When asked about her fall on her second vault, Maroney said, "I didn't get my full block, my hands didn't really touch the vault. I still walked out with a silver medal and I'm happy about that. I'll have to watch the video and figure out what happened. It's really sad that I had to fall on that vault but I'm glad I won a silver medal."

She added, " I know I can do better vaults but I also know I didn't deserve the gold medal because I fell on my second vault. It happens. It's gymnastics. You can't always be perfect. Sometimes things don't go as planned."

Today's event finals competition began with the men's floor exercise final, with Jake Dalton of Reno, Nev./University of Oklahoma. His first pass was an Arabian double layout, followed by a well-executed layout Thomas. Unfortunately, he had a landing error on his side pass of one-and-a-half twist to double front full. He finished his routine with a whip to tucked Thomas, a two-and-a-half to layout front full and dismounted with a clean triple full. He scored a 15.333 to finish in fifth place.

Dalton said, "I just wanted to go out there and have fun today. I knew I'd have to be perfect to get a medal with my start value. I've done routines that would have been really close before, but it's hard to time it at the right time. I'll take fifth in the world."

Zou Kai of China won the floor exercise gold medal with a score of 15.933. Kohei Uchimura of Japan and and Russia's Denis Ablyazin, both scored a 15.800. Due to the tie-breaking procedure (highest execution score), Uchimura took the silver and Ablyazin the bronze.

Maroney, seventh up in the women's vault final, performed her trademark two-and-a-half twisting Yurchenko for her first vault to score a 15.866. During her second vault, a Yurchenko half-on, front layout full off, Maroney had an uncharacteristic fall on the landing and scored a 14.300. Maroney's two-vault average was a 15.083, which was 0.108 behind Romania's Sandra Raluca Izbasa, who won the vault gold medal with an average score of 15.191. Russia's Maria Paseka won the bronze medal with a 15.050.

On the pommel horse where the Americans did not have a qualifier in the field, Hungary's Krisztian Berki claimed the top spot scoring a 16.066. Great Britain's Louis Smith also scored a 16.066, but due to the tie-breaking procedures, Smith earned the silver medal. Great Britain's Max Whitlock scored a 15.600 to grab the bronze medal.

Men's and women's event finals continue Aug. 6-7. Monday's events are men's still rings and vault and women's uneven bars. The U.S. athletes competing on Monday include Sam Mikulak of Newport Coast, Calif./University of Michigan, on men's vault, and Gabby Douglas of Virginia Beach, Va./Chow's Gymnastics, on women's uneven bars. Tuesday's events are men's parallel bars and horizontal bar and women's balance beam and floor exercise. The U.S. athletes competing on Tuesday include Danell Leyva of Miami/Team Hilton HHonors (Universal Gymnastics) and Jonathan Horton of Houston/Team Hilton HHonors (Cypress Gymnastics) on horizontal bar; Alexandra Raisman of Needham, Mass./Brestyan's AmericanGymnastics, and Douglas on balance beam; and Jordyn Wieber of DeWitt, Mich./Gedderts' Twistars USA, and Raisman on women's floor exercise.

Ways to follow the Olympic Games include:

USAGym.org, the USA Gymnastics official website, is a great source for information about the sport: latest news, the schedule of its premier events, athlete biographies, videos, photo galleries, live scoring from major events and more. USA Gymnastics also has usagymclub.org, which is a resource center for parents of potential and existing gymnasts.
TeamUSA.org, the U.S. Olympic Committee's website will also be a good resource for information on the Team USA in London.
Facebook - USA Gymnastics has an official Facebook page, www.facebook.com/USAGymnastics, which carries USA Gymnastics information and activities for fans. The USOC's official Facebook page is www.facebook.com/USOlympicTeam
Twitter - USA Gymnastics has an official Twitter feed -- @usagym. The USOC's Twitter feed is @usolympic.
NBCOlympics.com - NBC is the broadcast and web source for coverage and news on the Olympic Games. NBCOlympics.com will carry live coverage of every gymnastics session as well as all sports, and maintain an archive for on-demand coverage. A special "Live Extra" app for smartphones and tablets is available as well. For gymnastics, viewing options will include a single "integrated" feed showing various competitors (akin to watching on TV), plus separate feeds for each apparatus.
Check your local listings for dates and times in your area here: http://www.nbcolympics.com/tv-listings/index.html.
YouTube - USA Gymnastics has an official YouTube Channel, www.youtube.com/usagymnasticsorg, which features routines of the top gymnasts from various events, interviews, etc. The USOC's YouTube Channel is www.youtube.com/TeamUSA.

Women win team gold at 2012 Olympic Games

London, England - The United States women's team won gold with a score of 183.596 at the 2012 Olympic Games at the North Greenwich Arena. Russia earned silver with a 178.530 and Romania took bronze with a 176.414. China placed fourth with a 174.430.

This is the second women's team gold in U.S. history, the first coming in 1996. The gold-medal finish is the sixth consecutive team medal for the U.S. women. Dating back to 1992, it is the second-longest active women's Olympic team medal streak behind Romania (1976-2012).

The U.S. Women's Team features: Gabby Douglas of Virginia Beach, Va./Chow's Gymnastics and Dance Institute; McKayla Maroney of Long Beach, Calif./All Olympia Gymnastics Center; Aly Raisman of Needham, Mass./Brestyan's American Gymnastics; Kyla Ross of Aliso Viejo, Calif./Gym-Max Gymnastics; and Jordyn Wieber of DeWitt, Mich./Gedderts' Twistars USA.

The USA had the highest team score on vault (48.132), balance beam (45.299) and floor exercise (45.366). The U.S. placed third on uneven bars (44.799) behind China (46.399) and Russia (46.166).

Women's National Team Coordinator Martha Karolyi said, "We are certainly enjoying this moment. This is the result of the teamwork and what we did through the years. All the hard work paid off in the end."

The USA women started off strong on vault. Wieber, Douglas and Maroney all competed a Yurchenko two-and-a-half, also known as an Amanar. Wieber scored a 15.933, Douglas scored a 15.966 and Maroney stuck her vault and received the highest U.S. vault score with a 16.233. The USA scored 48.132 on vault and was 1.733 points ahead of China, who started on bars. Russia, who started on vault, was third.

Wieber once again led off for the USA on uneven bars, scoring a 14.666 for her solid routine complete with a full twisting double layout dismount. Ross showed precise lines, high release moves and stuck her double layout dismount to earn a 14.933. Douglas anchored the team for the U.S. and scored an impressive 15.200 for her sky-high release moves and double layout dismount. USA continued the lead with a 92.931 to Russia's 92.532.

On beam, Ross got the U.S. off to a good start with her routine, scoring a 15.133. Ross competed a front aerial to flip flop, layout stepout and dismounted with a double tuck. Douglas' routine, complete with her standing full and flip flop series to double pike, scored a 15.233. Raisman's routine included a solid flip flop layout series and she dismounted with her double Arabian dismount to score a 14.933. The USA team score after three events 138.230 to Russia's 136.931.

Douglas showed off on floor exercise with her dazzling smile and impressive tumbling and dance to score a 15.066. She mounted with a one-and-a-half to triple full and and dismounted with a double tuck to jump. Wieber hit the routine of her life complete with a double twisting double back and a one-and-a-half to triple full to score a 15.000. Raisman, who medaled on floor at the 2011 World Championships, showed impressive tumbling complete with a one-and-a-half to double Arabian and second pass of a pike double Arabian to jump to clinch the medal for the U.S. with her score of 15.300.

Quotes from the team:

Douglas on the importance of a strong start on vault: "We were all spot on. We stuck three 2.5 (Amanar vaults) and its contagious. I'm so proud of these girls. We did awesome. A lot of hard work and sacrifice in the gym, and it all pays off."

Maroney on her role after competing on vault, her only event of the night: "I just wanted them to do so well and I'm just so proud of them. I was screaming and yelling. That last event on floor was really exhilarating, but amazing at the same time. I don't think I will ever, ever forget that."

Raisman on having to wait until the third event to compete: "I just kept moving and cheering on the Team USA girls. When the Russians were going, I didn't pay attention to them. It wasn't that bad. It went by pretty quick."

Ross on the U.S. accomplishing its goal of a team gold: "We all did our events the best that we could and hit our routines, and we are all really proud of each other. It was really fun watching floor. McKayla and I were together cheering as loud as we could. We were screaming so loud."

Wieber on working as a team: "This couldn't be possible without everyone stepping up today. Everyone did their job and was completely amazing. I am so excited."

Raisman and Douglas compete in the all-around finals Aug. 2, and individual event finals are Aug. 5-7. Team USA individual event finalists are: Maroney, vault; Douglas, bars; Douglas and Raisman, beam; and Wieber and Raisman on floor. Danell Leyva and John Orozco compete in the men's all-around final Aug. 1, and event finalists are: Jake Dalton, floor exercise; Sam Mikulak, vault; Jonathan Horton, horizontal bar; and Leyva, horizontal bar. Individual event finals are Aug. 5-7.

Ways to follow the Olympic Games include:

USAGym.org, the USA Gymnastics official website, is a great source for information about the sport: latest news, the schedule of its premier events, athlete biographies, videos, photo galleries, live scoring from major events and more. USA Gymnastics also has usagymclub.org, which is a resource center for parents of potential and existing gymnasts.

TeamUSA.org, the U.S. Olympic Committee's website will also be a good resource for information on the Team USA in London.

Facebook - USA Gymnastics has an official Facebook page, www.facebook.com/USAGymnastics, which carries USA Gymnastics information and activities for fans. The USOC's official Facebook page is www.facebook.com/USOlympicTeam

Twitter - USA Gymnastics has an official Twitter feed -- @usagym. The USOC's Twitter feed is @usolympic.

NBCOlympics.com - NBC is the broadcast and web source for coverage and news on the Olympic Games. NBCOlympics.com will carry live coverage of every gymnastics session as well as all sports, and maintain an archive for on-demand coverage. A special "Live Extra" app for smartphones and tablets is available as well.

For gymnastics, viewing options will include a single "integrated" feed showing various competitors (akin to watching on TV), plus separate feeds for each apparatus.

Check your local listings for dates and times in your area here: http://www.nbcolympics.com/tv-listings/index.html.

YouTube - USA Gymnastics has an official YouTube Channel, www.youtube.com/usagymnasticsorg, which features routines of the top gymnasts from various events, interviews, etc. The USOC's YouTube Channel is www.youtube.com/TeamUSA.

U.S. men finish fifth at the 2012 Olympic Games

London, England - The United States men's team finished fifth with a score of 269.952 at the 2012 Olympic Games at the North Greenwich Arena. China earned gold with a 275.997, Japan took silver with a 271.952 and the Great Britain earned bronze with a 271.711. The Ukraine was fourth with a 271.526.

The U.S. Men's Team includes Jake Dalton of Reno, Nev./University of Oklahoma; Jonathan Horton of Houston/Team Hilton HHonors (Cypress Academy); Danell Leyva of Miami/Team Hilton HHonors (Universal Gymnastics); Sam Mikulak of Newport Coast, Calif./University of Michigan; and John Orozco of the Bronx, N.Y./Team Hilton HHonors (U.S. Olympic Training Center).

Men's Olympic Team coach Kevin Mazeika said, "We saw what they were capable of in the team prelims, but team finals is a new competition and that's why we have the competition. The guys fought really hard from start to finish."

The USA men started off on floor exercise. Leyva led off with his layout double-twisting double-back mount and a double layout dismount to score 15.200. Mikulak mounted with a double-twisting double tuck and dismounted with a triple full but put his hands down to score a 14.600. Dalton anchored the team on this event with his routine that included an Arabian double layout mount and a triple twist dismount, which scored a 15.466.

On pommel horse, Leyva scored a 13.400 due to a problem in the middle of his routine. Mikulak hit a nice routine, which included a single pommel Russian Tong Fei and triple Russian, to score a 14.500. Orozco had some trouble with his pommel horse routine and scored a 12.733.

Dalton was the lead gymnast on still rings showing a pike and tuck Yamawaki and double twisting, double back dismount, which scored a 15.033. Horton added a 15.266 to the team total with his routine, which included an Azarian Maltese and a back uprise Maltese, bounce cross. He dismounted with a tucked double twisting, double back. Orozco finished on the event, showing an Azarian L cross and a tuck Yamawaki, back uprise straddle planche and dismounting with a one-and-a-half twisting double back for a 14.958.

On vault, Orozco sat down on his front handspring double full twist and scored a 14.600.

Mikulak and Dalton, both with a 7.0 start value vaults, showed an impressive Kasamatsu double twist (which is actually three twists), scoring a 15.966 and 16.066, respectively.

Mikulak's parallel bars routine included a front uprise Suarez, Tippelt and a double pike dismount to score a 15.266. Orozco's routine was solid with a front one-and-a-quarter and a stuck double pike dismount, which scored a 15.133. 2011 parallel bars World Champion Leyva performed with ease, showing a peach Diamodov, a giant Diamodov half and a double pike dismount to score a 15.366.

On the last event, horizontal bar, the USA men hit three for three routines. Orozco led off with his Liukin, layout Tkatchev and full twisting double layout dismount. Orozco scored a 15.333. 2008 Olympic high bar silver medalist Horton performed a Zou Li Min, a Cassina, a layout Kovacs and dismounted with a full twisting double layout to score a 15.200. Leyva performed his usual breathtaking routine, which included a Liukin, layout Kovacs, layout Tkatchev and a layout double twisting double back, which scored a 15.866.

Horton said, "I'm just really proud of the guys. We struggled, but we continued to show what this team is about. We have this never stop fighting attitude and that's exactly what we did. We never stopped fighting in this competition. Deep down in my heart I believe we are a great team."

Leyva and Orozco compete in the all-around final Aug. 1, and individual event finals are Aug. 5-7. Team USA individual event finalists are: Dalton, floor exercise; Mikulak, vault; Horton, horizontal bar; and Leyva, horizontal bar.

The women's team final is July 31 at 4:30 p.m. BST/11:30 a.m. EST.

Ways to follow the Olympic Games include:

USAGym.org, the USA Gymnastics official website, is a great source for information about the sport: latest news, the schedule of its premier events, athlete biographies, videos, photo galleries, live scoring from major events and more. USA Gymnastics also has usagymclub.org, which is a resource center for parents of potential and existing gymnasts.

TeamUSA.org, the U.S. Olympic Committee's website will also be a good resource for information on the Team USA in London.

Facebook - USA Gymnastics has an official Facebook page, www.facebook.com/USAGymnastics, which carries USA Gymnastics information and activities for fans. The USOC's official Facebook page is www.facebook.com/USOlympicTeam

Twitter - USA Gymnastics has an official Twitter feed -- @usagym. The USOC's Twitter feed is @usolympic.

NBCOlympics.com - NBC is the broadcast and web source for coverage and news on the Olympic Games. NBCOlympics.com will carry live coverage of every gymnastics session as well as all sports, and maintain an archive for on-demand coverage. A special "Live Extra" app for smartphones and tablets is available as well.

For gymnastics, viewing options will include a single "integrated" feed showing various competitors (akin to watching on TV), plus separate feeds for each apparatus.
Check your local listings for dates and times in your area here: http://www.nbcolympics.com/tv-listings/index.html.

YouTube - USA Gymnastics has an official YouTube Channel, www.youtube.com/usagymnasticsorg, which features routines of the top gymnasts from various events, interviews, etc. The USOC's YouTube Channel is www.youtube.com/TeamUSA.

U.S. women's line-up for team finals is set for 2012 Olympic Games

London, England - The line-up for the U.S. women for the team finals at the 2012 Olympic Games has been submitted. The women compete on Tuesday, July 31, at 11:30 a.m. ET at the North Greenwich Arena.
The U.S. Women's Team features: Gabby Douglas of Virginia Beach, Va./Chow's Gymnastics and Dance Institute; McKayla Maroney of Long Beach, Calif./All Olympia Gymnastics Center; Aly Raisman of Needham, Mass./Brestyan's American Gymnastics; Kyla Ross of Aliso Viejo, Calif./Gym-Max Gymnastics; and Jordyn Wieber of DeWitt, Mich./Gedderts' Twistars USA.

The U.S. women's line-up is:
Vault: Wieber, Douglas, Maroney
Uneven bars: Wieber, Ross, Douglas
Balance beam: Ross, Douglas, Raisman
Floor exercise: Douglas, Wieber, Raisman

The women's team final is July 31, followed by the men's and women's all-around finals on Aug. 1 and 2, respectively. The individual event finals are Aug. 5-7.

USA advances to team finals in women's gymnastics at 2012 Olympic Games

LONDON, England – The U.S. women advanced to the team finals at the 2012 Olympic Games after an impressive team effort at the North Greenwich Arena that put them at the top of the team rankings for the qualification round. Also, the USA's Aly Raisman of Needham, Mass./Brestyan's American Gymnastics, and Gabby Douglas of Virginia Beach, Va./Chow's Gymnastics and Dance Institute, are second and third, respectively, in the qualifying rankings for the all-around. In addition, four women advanced to the individual event finals. The men's team finals are Monday, July 30, followed by the women's team finals on July 31.


The U.S. Women's Team features: Douglas, McKayla Maroney of Long Beach, Calif./All Olympia Gymnastics Center, Raisman, Kyla Ross of Aliso Viejo, Calif./Gym-Max Gymnastics, and Jordyn Wieber of DeWitt, Mich./Gedderts' Twistars USA.


The USA posted a team total of 181.863, putting them ahead of Russia at 180.429 and China at 176.637, respectively. Rounding out the team final field are Romania, Great Britain, Japan, Italy, and Canada. Scores from the qualifying round do not carry forward to the finals.


The gymnasts advancing to the individual finals are listed below.

All-around
Gabby Douglas
Aly RaismanIndividual event finals
Vault: McKayla Maroney
Uneven bars: Gabby Douglas
Balance beam: Gabby Douglas, Aly Raisman
Floor exercise: Aly Raisman, Jordyn Wieber

Tomorrow, the U.S. men at 4:30 p.m. in the men's team finals. The U.S. Men's Team includes Jake Dalton of Reno, Nev./University of Oklahoma; Jonathan Horton of Houston/Team Hilton HHonors (Cypress Academy); Leyva; Sam Mikulak of Newport Coast, Calif./University of Michigan; and Orozco.
The women's team final is July 31, followed by the men's and women's all-around finals on Aug. 1 and 2, respectively. The individual event finals are Aug. 5-7.


Women's National Team Coordinator Martha Karolyi said, "I'm very pleased with how the competition went. We proved we are very well prepared. They hit all of their routines, which is what I expected. We did have some tiny mistakes here and there that we will correct for the team finals."


The USA women started on vault with four solid Yurchenko two-and-a-half twists, also known as Amanars. Raisman started the team off scoring a 15.800. Douglas scored a 15.900 followed by Wieber's 15.833. 2011 world vault champion Maroney finished strong scoring a 15.900 on her Amanar and a 15.700 on her Yurchenko half on front layout full off, for an average score of 15.800, which makes her first in the vault rankings as of now. Any gymnast vying for a spot in the vault event finals must do two vaults from two different families; the first vault score counts for the team total.


On uneven bars, Raisman started the USA Team out with a solid routine, including a Shaposhnikova, Yaeger and Tkatchev to double front dismount to score a 14.166. Wieber followed with her Weiler kip half turn to Shaposhnikova, Tkatchev and full-twisting double layout dismount to score a 14.833. Ross' strong routine with beautiful lines included a Shaposhnikova to Pak, Shaposhnikova half Stalder half to Yaeger and she dismounted with a stuck double layout. Ross earned a 14.866. Douglas finished out the bar line-up showing excellent lines and incredible amplitude. Her routine included an Endo, two huge Tkatchevs, and a double layout dismount. Douglas scored a 15.333, the highest bar score for Team USA.


On balance beam, Ross scored a 15.075 for her routine, which included a front aerial to flip flop layout step out, a side somi and a double tuck dismount. Douglas wowed the audience, scoring a 15.266 with her standing full and flip flop, flip flop to double pike dismount. Wieber's routine was loaded with skills including a combination front handspring to standing full to flip flop. She dismounted with a flip flop, flip flop, two-and-a-half twist. Wieber scored a 14.700. Raisman anchored beam with her solid routine that included a flip flop to layout, side aerial, front tuck, front pike and a double Arabian dismount. Raisman scored a 15.100.


On the final event of the day, floor exercise, Ross once again led off for the USA with her routine, which included a double Arabian mount and a double tuck dismount to score a 13.733. She had an out-of-bounds deduction on her first pass. Douglas' routine included a one-and-a-half to triple full mount. Unfortunately she also stumbled out-of-bounds on her double Arabian for a 13.766. Wieber did a difficulty packed routine, sticking her double-twisting double-back mount and a one-and-a-half to triple full to jump for her second pass. Wieber earned a 14.666. Raisman anchored the team with her powerful floor routine, showing a one-and-a-half to double Arabian, punch layout front for her first pass and a piked double Arabian to jump for her second pass, to claim a 15.325.


Quotes from the Team
Aly Raisman
Regarding watching the scores, Raisman said, "I wasn't watching any scores since I was last on beam and floor. I cheered for the team but I turned around so I wasn't watching their full routines."
About competing as a team, she said, "Before we marched out we talked about how we want to have fun here and really enjoy it. We talked about going out and hitting all of our routines just like at 2011 World Championships and that's what we did. I'm really proud of our team."
Gabby Douglas
Regarding the team and personal performance, she said, "It was an amazing feeling competing today for Team USA. I think I did very well. I definitely have room for improvement though – I made little mistakes on beam and floor, but that is what training is for and we'll go back and fix it up for team finals."
McKayla Maroney
Regarding the team performance, she said, "It went well today. Team USA did awesome. I was so proud. We came in 1, 2, 3 (in the all-around) - I was so proud."
Regarding her vault and what she plans to do for the next competition, she said, "The same thing, but better!"
Kyla Ross
Regarding team, she said, "It was definitely exciting competing here today. I was surprised I wasn't too nervous. I thought we did well and hopefully we can come back in team finals and fix our little mistakes and do even better."
Jordyn Wieber
On missing out of the all-around finals, she said, "It is a bit of a disappointment. It has always been a dream of mine to compete in the all-around final of the Olympics, but I'm proud of Aly and Gabby, and happy that they reached the all-around and that I was able to help the team get to the finals. I think from the beginning, we were all looking very strong. It was always going to be close between the three of us doing all-around and in the end, it is what it is."

Ways to follow the Olympic Games include:

• USAGym.org, the USA Gymnastics official website, is a great source for information about the sport: latest news, the schedule of its premier events, athlete biographies, videos, photo galleries, live scoring from major events and more. USA Gymnastics also has usagymclub.org, which is a resource center for parents of potential and existing gymnasts.
• TeamUSA.org, the U.S. Olympic Committee's website will also be a good resource for information on the Team USA in London.
• Facebook - USA Gymnastics has an official Facebook page, www.facebook.com/USAGymnastics, which carries USA Gymnastics information and activities for fans. The USOC's official Facebook page is www.facebook.com/USOlympicTeam
• Twitter - USA Gymnastics has an official Twitter feed -- @usagym. The USOC's Twitter feed is @usolympic.
• NBCOlympics.com - NBC is the broadcast and web source for coverage and news on the Olympic Games. NBCOlympics.com will carry live coverage of every gymnastics session as well as all sports, and maintain an archive for on-demand coverage. A special "Live Extra" app for smartphones and tablets is available as well. For gymnastics, viewing options will include a single "integrated" feed showing various competitors (akin to watching on TV), plus separate feeds for each apparatus.
  Check your local listings for dates and times in your area here: http://www.nbcolympics.com/tv-listings/index.html.
• YouTube - USA Gymnastics has an official YouTube Channel, www.youtube.com/usagymnasticsorg, which features routines of the top gymnasts from various events, interviews, etc. The USOC's YouTube Channel is www.youtube.com/TeamUSA.

Women's Podium Training at the 2012 Olympic Games

LONDON, England - The U.S. women trained on the competition equipment and had a chance to experience the arena during today's podium training at the 2012 Olympic Games at the North Greenwich Arena on Thurs., July 26.


The U.S. women are in Subdivision 3 (of five), along with Canada, Great Britain and France. The United States, which starts on vault, will compete on July 29.


The U.S. Women’s Team includes Gabby Douglas of Virginia Beach, Va./Chow’s Gymnastics and Dance Institute, McKayla Maroney of Long Beach, Calif./All Olympia Gymnastics Center, Aly Raisman of Needham, Mass./Brestyan’s American Gymnastics, Kyla Ross of Aliso Viejo, Calif./Gym-Max Gymnastics, and Jordyn Wieber of DeWitt, Mich./Gedderts’ Twistars USA.


Olympic Team coach John Geddert said, "I think it was outstanding. I think the girls were right on point. They were just as good as they were at Worlds. They hit the floor and did everything they needed to do. Vault was outstanding and bars were really good."


Here are a few comments from the U.S. Olympic Team members:


Ross on podium training: "I think it went really well today. We came out and had really strong vaults. I was really excited to stick my Yurchenko double twist. It was really exciting to come and see the venue. We've been here for a week and we've been working towards this, so it's exciting to finally be here."


Raisman on podium training: "Podium training I think went really well. I'm proud of all my teammates. We've been working really hard, so just to finally be able to be out on the Olympic podium training was really amazing and so exciting."


Douglas on the team gaining momentum: "We looked so strongly prepared. We kind of had a couple wobbles and bobbles, but we're still learning to adapt. Overall I think it went really well. We're all so hyped and on fire."


Maroney on getting comfortable with her teammates: "It was really fun to get out there and do my vault, and I was really excited to go to that arena. I love it just being there with all the girls. I was really happy with how everybody did."


Wieber on the team vaults: "I think we've all been working so hard on vault. Just to get those Amanars not only hit, but with good landings is the most important thing. I'm really proud of everyone for going out today and hitting our two-and-a-halfs strong right at the beginning of the practice. It was great for us."


Martha Karolyi on the pressure of the Olympics: "They can handle it. The confidence level is very high, and I think that is the main strength of this team."

Photos by John Cheng