Aly Raisman of U.S. finishes Olympics in style with gold medal in women's floor exercise

Alexandra Raisman of the United States hugs coach Mihai Brestyan after winning the gold medal for the Artistic Gymnastics Women's Floor Exercise final on Day 11 of the London 2012 Olympic Games at North Greenwich Arena on August 7, 2012 in London, England. / Ronald Martinez/Getty Images

(AP) LONDON - Aly Raisman finished the Olympics in style.

The U.S. captain matched Gabby Douglas in gold medals, winning the title on floor exercise Tuesday. Add in the bronze on balance beam from earlier in the day, and she becomes the most decorated of the Fierce Five.

Good thing Raisman had such a big day because the rest of the Americans came up empty-handed. Douglas had another rough day, finishing seventh on balance beam after a fall. World champion Jordyn Wieber, voted most likely to leave the Olympics with the biggest haul, was seventh on floor and finishes without any individual medals.

Danell Leyva and Jonathan Horton were fifth and sixth, respectively, on high bar, leaving the U.S. men with only Leyva's all-around bronze.

"I'm so happy, going home with two Olympic gold medals and a couple of titles under my belt," Douglas said. "I'm so happy for Aly, she deserves to be up on that podium. She had a great beam routine and I'm so proud of her."

Raisman may not have Douglas' bubbly personality or Wieber's resume but she is prized her for her steadiness, and that consistency paid off big in London.

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Aly Raisman

Perhaps energized by her surprise bronze on beam, Raisman's floor routine had an extra spark. Her tumbling passes were some of the most difficult, and she got such great height on them you could have parked a double-decker bus beneath her. Her landings were not only secure, one was so powerful it practically shook the floor.

Coach Mihai Brestyan was hopping up and down and pumping his fist as she finished, and even Raisman was impressed with herself, mouthing "wow" after she saluted the judges. When her score, a 15.6, was posted, teammate McKayla Maroney yelled "whoa!" so loudly from the stands it could be heard across the arena.

There were still five gymnasts to go, but none came close. When reigning world champion Sandra Izbasa landed her final tumbling run on her head, Raisman let herself exhale. And smile.

Catalina Ponor, the 2004 champion on floor, won the silver. Aliya Mustafina of Russia got the bronze, her fourth medal of the Olympics.

Deng Linlin won the gold on balance beam, upstaging teammate and reigning world champion Sui Lu. It was the second gold of the day for the Chinese, following Feng Zhe's title on parallel bars. Epke Zonderland won gold on high bar, the first medal for a Dutch man and only the second Olympic medal overall for the Netherlands.

Raisman just missed a medal in the all-around, finishing with the same score as Mustafina but dropping to fourth on a tiebreak. But she was on the right end of the rules earlier Tuesday, bumping Ponor down to the bronze.

Raisman initially finished fourth with a score of 14.966. But she questioned it, and judges added an extra tenth to her routine's difficulty after a review. That gave her and Ponor identical scores of 15.066, but Raisman got the bronze because her execution score was higher.

Aly Raisman wins bronze on beam after appeal

Douglas' life has been a whirlwind since she won the all-around title last week, with media wanting a piece of her and celebs flooding her Twitter timeline, eager to be her new BFF. There was training to fit in, too, with finals on both uneven bars and balance beam. She admitted after Monday's lackluster showing on bars — she was last — that it was all catching up with her.

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Gold medal winner Gabby Douglas

It wasn't a lack of energy that cost her Tuesday — it was a misplaced foot. Her right foot could only brush the beam as she landed on a leap, and she had no chance to save herself. As the crowd gasped, she fell onto the beam in a straddle, hanging on tight as she swung partly underneath.

"I'm definitely not going to lie. It was definitely hard to regain your focus," Douglas said. "You're like, 'Yes, I'm the Olympic champion. I'm a world champion.' It's definitely kind of hard to turn the chapter for event finals."

On parallel bars, Feng gave the Chinese men their third gymnastics gold medal, following the team competition and Zou Kai's win on floor exercise. And they may not be finished, with Zou still to come on high bar, where he is the reigning world and Olympic champion.

Feng flashed a thumbs-up as he walked out for the medals ceremony, and planted a big kiss on the gold after he got it.

Germany's Marcel Nguyen was second, adding another silver to one from the men's all-around. Hamilton Sabot of France won the bronze.

Feng's routine was filled with intricate combinations, yet he did them with the precision of an artist and the rhythm of a musician. He held his handstands for what seemed like forever, looking like a statue, and there wasn't even the slightest hesitation as he went from one skill straight into another.

He hit the mat with a thud on his dismount and was pumping his fists even before he stood upright. He threw a roundhouse punch as he trotted off the podium, and his coach wrapped him in a big hug, pounding his back. When his score of 15.966 was posted, Feng, the 2010 world champion on parallel bars, nodded.

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London Olympics: Aug. 8, 2012

There were still six gymnasts to come, but it would take something pretty special to top Feng. And no one came close.

Nguyen's routine was impressive, but the European champion took a hop forward on his dismount and needed to windmill his arms to steady himself.

Zonderland has long been one of the world's best on high bar, his routine better than any circus act, and all that was missing was an Olympic medal. No longer.

He opened his routine with three straight release moves, not even pausing to catch his breath before tossing himself high into the air again. It's high risk, high reward, and the crowd loved it, oohing and aahing as he flew so high he could have waved into the overhead camera.

He was a blur as he pirouetted on the bar, yet never looked as if he was on the verge of going out of control.

When he hit the mat, he let out a roar. American Jonathan Horton, up next, could only laugh and shake his head, knowing there was no way he — or anyone — could top that show.

He was right, with Zonderland scoring a 16.533 — a number not usually seen outside the vault. Zonderland broke into a grin when he saw the mark and pointed at the scoreboard.

It was the Netherlands' first gymnastics medal since 1928, when the women's team won gold.

[marcie10000]

I have so enjoyed Aly's floor exercise in all of the competitions and she deserved the gold medal. She has been consistent with her beauty, grace, and acrobatics.

[harrisonAR]

Too bad she won't be invited to Oprah's show. She's a little to light. Likewise for the Prez.

[Smilestoo]

Did Oprah or her publicist tell you this?

[RedSkalaton]

Gees, what are those bumps or moles on Aly Raisman's face? They could have at least put a bunch of that white powder on her head to cover that all up. What were they thinking?

[credibility2]

Gabby's poor showing yesterday and again today shows her lack of competitive maturity and inability to focus consistently and only on one specific event at that specific time. Competitive athletes are mentally and emotionally trained on these things. Too much pressure was placed on this young and gifted athlete to perform golden and medal at each subsequent event.

[Smilestoo]

Gabby's showing yesterday and today proves that she is a human being. All of the persecution that savages put her through for the last few days, finally took a toll on her. Too, too much hate for her to have to endure. It is only natural that her performance would be affected. I am sure she has other talents, and does not have to depend solely on olympic gold medals to stay on top. She has a great smile, perseverance, and personality. She will rise again.

[cagirl1111]

So true, All of these girls are too young. I almost think that the ICO should raise the age until 18. Plus we must remember that THE FAV Five won the team gold & Gabby was 5 stars in winning the all around, but the pressure to remain competitive is not there. Aly was great in winning gold on floor.

[dreamymiss100]

Congrats to Aly....to CBS and google, this makes me so mad. I can't watch it until nearly midnight, but I sure do get spoilers shoved in my face at the top of the google news page where you can't avoid it *silly me for hoping that by avoiding the sports section, I wouldn't get the spoilers*

[twatts1000]

The Fierce Five are fantastic! Awesome job, Ladies!!! Go Team USA!!!

[afriskyr]

Aly was awesome on floor exercise today. She definitely deserved that gold medal. I hope she keeps going in gymnastics.

[Smilestoo]

I hope she keeps going also. The team was great. A high five to all of the team.