McKayla Maroney seemed to have the gold in the bag this week, and after another near-perfect vault–which held the single highest vault score in the finals–spectators probably assumed it was a sure thing yesterday.
However, something happened. Whether it was nerves or just sheer exhaustion, McKayla stumbled on the second vault and landed on her backside, which earned her the silver medal instead of the gold everyone expected her to get. She took it like a champ, but anyone watching could see that she was mentally kicking herself for making such a costly mistake.
But no worries, McKayla; you’ve wowed everyone sufficiently enough to make jaws drop and gotten so much air during your vaults that you will forever be remembered as the Girl Who Could Fly during this year’s Olympics. Don’t be so hard on yourself.