DeWitt's Jordyn Wieber saw her dream shattered this morning when she failed to take one of the top two American spots and missed qualifying for the All-Around Finals of the gymnastics competition at the Olympic Games in London.
As the reigning 2011 World Champion, Wieber was the odds-on favorite to win an all-around gold medal.
Wieber's failure to make the finals is stunning. She finished behind teammates Aly Raisman and Gabby Douglass. Each country is limited to two gymnasts in the All-Around Finals.
However, she can still win gold medals in individual events and help the United States team win a gold in the All-Around Finals Tuesday.
"I was really surprised, and I feel awful because she wanted it so bad," said Raisman, Wieber's closest friend on the team and the one who knocked her out of the all-around.
Wieber's performance wasn't a bad one. She also finished 4th overall. But a few wobbles in a couple of different events and a costly step out of bounds on the floor routine was enough to make Wieber the third best American in a competition where only the top two from each country move on.
It was reported that Wieber, who left the inner arena in tears, was so distraught, she didn't speak to reporters.
A quote attributed to her and distributed by the London Games' internal news agency 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."
And later, in a tweet, she said "Thank you all for your love and support. I am so proud of our team today and I can't wait for team finals!!"
"That's what I told her, she's going to handle this with as much class as she handled the victories. Make no excuses," said John Geddert, the U.S. coach and Wieber's personal coach.
