A/N: I'm back! Sorry, I got a new job and it's been hectic! But since I've been gone, I've booked two holidays! Haha!
Sunday brought the return of the gymnastics competition with the women's vault final, sandwiched by the men's floor and pommel horse finals. It was the day US fans had been waiting for, with McKayla fully expected to take gold.
JJ was in the stands with the remainder of the team, Aly on her left and Kyla on her right. They were sitting above the beam, with a great view of the landing area for the vault. Nick was in the row behind her, chatting easily with the other coaches as they waited for the final to gear up.
"Ladies and gentleman, please put your hands together for the gymnasts as they enter the arena!"
The familiar upbeat music began, grabbing their attention as the short procession of eight gymnasts and accompanying coaches made its way out onto the floor. They spotted McKayla quickly, walking second to last dressed all in white. She was wearing the white version of the leotard they had worn for the team final, and as it so happened, it was the same one JJ had already picked to wear for the bars final the next day.
They were led up to stand alongside the vault, and almost as soon as they had stopped, the announcer began introducing them to the watching crowd.
"Ladies and gentlemen, the women's vault finalists! Representing Canada… Brittany Rogers!"
Brittany waved happily to the crowd, her white and teal leotard proudly bearing the Canadian maple leaf.
"Representing Germany… Janine Berger!"
Janine was a young but powerful gymnast from Germany, who had helped make a little bit of history by being one of two Germans to qualify into the final.
"Representing Canada… Elsabeth Black!"
Elsabeth, or Ellie as JJ had heard her teammates calling her, was a year younger than JJ and basically fresh on the international scene. The Olympics were her first major competition, and so far, they had been fantastic for herself and the Canadian team.
"Representing the Dominican Republic… Yamilet Pena Abreu!"
Yamilet had made a name for herself at the previous year's worlds when she had attempted the extremely difficult and dangerous handspring double front vault. So far, JJ hadn't seen her land it successfully, but she was hoping she would manage it today.
"Representing Germany… Oksana Chusovitina!"
Oksana was an absolute legend in the gym world. Her first Olympic Games had been in 1992… four years before JJ was even born. And here she was, competing at her sixth Games as the reigning vault silver medallist.
"Representing the Russian Federation… Maria Paseka!"
Maria had rotated with JJ in the team final, and JJ had already seen her vault. Her form was sometimes a little scary, but nonetheless, she seemed like a sweet girl and JJ hoped she was going to do well.
"Representing the United States of America… McKayla Maroney!"
"Yeah McKayla!" Aly yelled, making the other girls laugh. "You got it!"
"Representing Romania… Sandra Izbasa!"
Once Sandra had waved to the crowd, the gymnasts were escorted off the podium, leaving Brittany up to start off the final.
It wasn't long before she was given her green light. She powered down the runway, but even from the stands, her run looked a little laboured. Her hurdle was clean and quick, and JJ was impressed when, even with a seeming lack of power, she managed to wrap in a relatively clean double twist. Her landing came down slightly to the side of the centre line, but her chest was up, and her landing nearly stuck.
The effort earned her a very respectable 14.766, setting her up for a strong lead-off into the competition.
The run into her second vault seemed much more efficient, but having watched McKayla doing half-on Yurchenkos for over two years, JJ wasn't as impressed by the entry to the table. Still, she had to commend Brittany for the height she managed off the table, enough to whip around a half twist before landing. As she landed, her chest came down extremely low, her hands brushing the top of the mat before she quickly straightened up and saluted the judges. Even with the little errors, she was smiling as she left the podium, all hugs and high fives with her coaches, proving that the Olympics were not always about winning the hardware.
The young German was next, putting up two solid vaults that pushed her into an early lead. Her form was fantastic, and JJ found herself silently rooting for the underdog in a stacked competition.
Ellie was next to go. Her run was so fast that JJ could swear she was going to lift from the table in true McKayla fashion. But moments later, she was twisting rapidly through the air, and then coming down hard on her side on the landing mat, her ankle jammed hard beneath her.
"Oh my gosh, ouch!" Aly exclaimed, jumping in her seat as Ellie hit the floor.
The crowd cheered as Ellie got up and walked slowly back to the end of the runway with her coach at her side. She was constantly stretching and shaking out her ankle, and JJ just knew she'd stung it on the landing. She still remembered the pain from the first time she had jammed an ankle on a landing, and it wasn't a pain you could very easily work through.
With a second green light, Ellie saluted the judges for her second attempt. She continued to shake herself out, standing still at the end of the runway as she took a deep breath.
She started to run, picking up speed easily, but right before the table, she leapt to the side, hopping to a stop as she picked her left foot up off the floor.
"Oh no, she's injured," Kyla said sadly from JJ's other side.
In the end, Ellie's score was a flat 0 – she hadn't landed her first attempt, and hadn't even gone through with her second. But health always had to come before rankings, and had she vaulted on the injured ankle, it likely would have been so much worse.
Next up was Yamilet Pena, the young Dominican who was attempting a legendary skill.
Her run was so powerful. As she neared the table, JJ leaned forward, wanting to see the legendary vault just a little closer. Yamilet's legs bent at the height of her block, and she immediately threw herself through two front flips. She came so close that JJ rose out of her chair, but moments later, her feet hit the mat and she landed straight on her butt.
The next two gymnasts were Oksana Chusovitina and Maria Paseka. Oksana's vaults were strong and dependable, her form absolutely incredible in the air. But even so, it was Paseka's choppy Amanar that ended up taking the lead with just two gymnasts left to go.
McKayla was next. Even from up high, JJ could see her game face. She was dusting away the chalk as was her habit, before saluting the judges and stepping onto the carpet.
"Come on Mac, you got it!" Aly called out encouragingly.
McKayla took off like a bullet from a gun down the runway, as was her usual. She flipped easily onto the table, blocking so hard that there was an audible gasp around the arena as she lifted clear of the table. Her twists were fast and clean, bringing her down to her feet without a flicker of doubt that she was the best in the world at what she did.
"Nice!" the girls cheered as she showed a flicker of a smile and began heading back towards the end of the runway. She was so calm and methodical in her movements that JJ almost envied her. What she would give to have that much composure in a final where people had already handed her the gold medal.
Surely that was what Tuesday was going to feel like.
McKayla's score came up for her first vault, a massive 15.866, and she wasted no time in getting ready for the second.
JJ felt like she wanted to hold her breath as she watched McKayla salute the judges. Confident and strong, the younger gymnast lined herself up, before tapping her foot once and taking off down the runway. She entered cleanly onto the table, the half twist being nearly square. As she flipped over through the air, JJ drew in a tight breath.
Seconds later, she hit the mat, and JJ's stomach dropped as McKayla's feet shot out from underneath her. A gasp rang around the arena, this time, one of shock, not awe.
"No!" Aly gasped beside her, her hands slapping down onto the railing. "No way!"
McKayla hauled herself up, her face set in stone as she saluted and left the podium.
The girls sat in a numb state of shock through the final competitor, Sandra Izbasa's attempt. When it was all said and done, Sandra slid ahead of McKayla by barely a tenth.
WOMEN'S VAULT FINAL
RK TOTAL
1 ROU IZBASA. S 15.191
2 USA MARONEY. M 15.083
3 RUS PASEKA. M 15.050
4 GER BERGER. J 15.016
5 GER CHUSOVITINA. O 14.783
6 DOM PENA ABREU. Y 14.516
7 CAN ROGERS. B 14.483
8 CAN BLACK. E 0.000
It was cemented. McKayla's slip had cost her her dream.
McKayla was barely through the door of their complex that evening when she completely broke down.
JJ was first to get to her, pulling her into a tight hug and trying her best to give her all the comfort she could.
"I can't believe I did that," McKayla sobbed. "I can't believe I fell"
"This sport gets the better of us sometimes," Aly said gently as she approached them and put a hand on McKayla's back. "You still got a silver… I know it's not what you wanted, but we're still so proud of you"
McKayla pulled away, her eyes red, her mascara tracked underneath.
"I just need to… be alone," she said through broken breaths, before turning and walking towards the room she was sharing with Kyla. As she disappeared around the corner, JJ saw her pull the silver medal off and cast it onto her bed.
Anxiety brewed in the pit of her stomach.
Now, just thinking about the beam final made her feel sick.