Hope for the US Women's Gymnastics

Sunday night I saw USA Women's Gymnastics Team compete for the finals. The impression I had for all of them is that they were all tired. I heard time and again that before the big event in Beijing, these girls have worked so hard to the extent of injuring themselves. So last Sunday, they all looked like wounded soldiers to me -- with bandages wrapped around their knees and ankles. One may even suspect they are not physically fit to do the dangerous routines that could hurt them more.

I watched the trials for the US delegation to the Olympics two months ago. It saddened me not to see some familiar faces in the team. After the trials, only the top two were selected -- Shawn Johnson and Nastia Liukin -- the rest had to go to the selection camp. More gruelling training over there, I'm sure.

Last Sunday, it was the first time I saw Liukin had a bad finish during a routine. And it had to be in the Olympics. This one is on the uneven bars. After what looked like landing in both feet, she fell, her back to the floor. I only saw the replay as the commentators talked about it.

Hopefully tonight, the team would have brighter faces and more sprint. It trailed by a large margin from China but one authority on gymnastics says it's okay. Because the team has no pressure coming to the finals, they would do well. Let's see.