Gabby Douglas makes U.S. Olympic gymnastics team

SAN JOSE -- Gabby Douglas stood arms akimbo, the right leg shaking nervously just before facing a nemesis Sunday night at the U.S. Olympic gymnastics trials.

The star of the London Games heard the sold-out crowd at the SAP Center urge her forward with cries of "Gabby, Gabby" as she approached the balance beam.

Douglas blew into each hand before starting a routine where she fell for the second time at the trials.

Douglas' tipsy show on the beam surprisingly didn't stop U.S. gymnastics officials from naming her to the five-member team that will be favored to defend its Olympic title next month in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

In a decision some fans might consider as risky, Douglas joined American star Simone Biles, Laurie Hernandez, Madison Kocian and 2012 Olympic teammate Aly Raisman on the squad despite finishing seventh out of 14 competitors at the trials.

Douglas, 20, and Raisman, 22, are the first Americans to make consecutive Olympics teams since 2000.

MyKayla Skinner of Arizona and Ragan Smith of Texas finished fourth and fifth, respectively, in the all-around scoring. They were named as alternates along with specialist Ashton Locklear of North Carolina.

Afterward, Douglas rested her hands on her head for a long moment before saying, "I don't know how to process this.

The country's most recognizable gymnast made the decision difficult because of her struggles on the 4-inch beam in front of 17,496 fans.

By contrast, Biles earned her bid the moment the trials ended by winning with a total score of 123.250 points although also falling off the beam. Hernandez of New Jersey ended the evening with a bouncy beam routine and a big smile. She finished second, 2.100 points behind.

Douglas' underwhelming performance led to questions among the three-member selection committee. But in the end, Martha Karolyi, national team coordinator, was swayed by Douglas' overall strength on all four apparatuses and her history of resounding success.

"Locklear has two" routines, "Gabby has four -- that was the question," Karolyi said of the final spot.

Gymnastics isn't like swimming and track and field where trials winners advance to the Olympics and the losers stay home. The selection committee used its discretion to pick Douglas and Kocian over the others. Kocian made the team by winning the uneven bars with a two-day total of 31.650 points.

Douglas vowed to prove the committee made the right choice.

"I'm willing to put everything into it," she said.

When asked about facing the beam again, Douglas added, "I'm not falling ever again."

Everyone knows that's not going to happen. But Douglas' resolve was evident as much as the palatable relief of surviving the intensity of the trials.

"I felt a lot more pressure this time," she said.

Hernandez, who turned 16 last month, expressed just how emotional the night is for aspiring Olympians once they hear their names called.

"Simone cried, then Ally cried, then I cried," Hernandez said. "Cool gymnast tears."

The Olympians will take five days off from their long journeys before regrouping at Karolyi's training center near Houston. The team director will work with the gymnasts for nine days to polish skills ahead of the big stage.

Douglas, who finished second in the all-around event at the 2015 World Championships, will have a chance at redemption by improving on the uneven bars and adding a more difficult element to her vaulting.

Biles, perhaps, put the trials into perspective when discussing her slip on the balance beam for the first time in a month.

"It shows we do make mistakes," the three-time reigning world champion said. "But it's better to get it out of the way now than in Rio."