American McKayla Maroney was the overwhelming favorite in the women's vault heading into Sunday's individual final, but she fell to the ground in her second attempt and only claimed the silver medal. Maroney delivered one of the defining moments of the 2012 Games so far when she landed a near-perfect vault to clinch gold for the Americans in the team final, but it wasn't to be on Sunday.
Maroney, who is also the reigning world champion in the event, came in second to Romanian Sandra Izbasa, who finished with a score of 15.191. Maroney came in at 15.083, with bronze medalist Maria Paseka of Russia finishing at 15.050.
Due to the difficulty of her vault, Maroney would almost certainly have won gold had she merely landed her second attempt without falling, but she could not hold her ground.
For updates, stay tuned to SB Nation St. Louis. For comprehensive coverage of the 2012 London Games, visit SB Nation's Olympics news hub. Stay up to date on the medal count with Sports Illustrated's tracker.
American McKayla Maroney was the overwhelming favorite in the women's vault heading into Sunday's individual final, but she fell to the ground in her second attempt and only claimed the silver medal. Maroney delivered one of the defining moments of the 2012 Games so far when she landed a near-perfect vault to clinch gold for the Americans in the team final, but it wasn't to be on Sunday.
Maroney, who is also the reigning world champion in the event, came in second to Romanian Sandra Izbasa, who finished with a score of 15.191. Maroney came in at 15.083, with bronze medalist Maria Paseka of Russia finishing at 15.050.
Due to the difficulty of her vault, Maroney would almost certainly have won gold had she merely landed her second attempt without falling, but she could not hold her ground.
For updates, stay tuned to SB Nation St. Louis. For comprehensive coverage of the 2012 London Games, visit SB Nation's Olympics news hub. Stay up to date on the medal count with Sports Illustrated's tracker.