Olympic Gymnast Jordyn Wieber in ATT’s My Journey

You’ve heard the saying, “it’s not about the destination, it’s about the journey,” right? In AT&T’s My Journey video series they feature seven US Olympians who are competing right now in London and give you a little insight in to their Olympic journey since the 2008 Beijing Games along with some other fun goodies. With my love of all things gymnastics, I immediately was drawn to Jordyn Wieber’s journey.

From 2009 American Cup Champion at age 13 to injuries in 2010, 2011 was Jordyn Wieber’s year. Her amazing talent, consistency and grace under pressure helped her win everything she entered (American Cup, Visa National Championships, and the World Championships) and has put her square in the eyes of the media leading up to these games – being touted as the “It Girl” for USA Gymnastics. As reigning World Champion, everyone expected Jordyn to be the one to beat in the Olympic All Around, however, it seems as if Jordyn’s journey has taken a slight detour.

Due to a “Two Athletes per Country” rule, Jordyn, who placed 4th All Around in the preliminary qualifying round will NOT be in contention for an All Around medal. Her teammates Aly Raisman and Gabby Douglas each finished fractions of a point ahead of Jordyn thus earning the two spots allotted to the US Team. It was heartbreaking to say the least. While my heart breaks for Jordyn, I am very happy for Aly and Gabby. All three have worked so hard, sacrificed so much and have been in this journey together for years.

That being said, I am a true believer in things happening for a reason. Yes, it is a hard, hard realization for Jordyn to take, but she still has two more chances to medal – one as an integral part of Team USA in the Team competition and one in the Floor Exercise event finals. And, this may fuel her to fight on and be a star for the US Gymnastics Team for four more years.

Whether all the media attention and expectations just became too much for Jordyn or she was just having an off day (although many would argue placing 4th in the Olympic preliminaries is NOT a case of having a bad day, rather a very good one), it is great to see that she is a well balanced young lady with a fantastic support system around her. She loves to shop, went to prom, goes to public school and has a great family. I am sure that if Jordyn is featured in a similar video four years from now, this Olympic disappointment will be an integral part of propelling her to even greater success!

So, go take a look at the bonus features you saw in Jordyn’s video a little closer at ATT My Journey, and get to know some of the other amazing athletes and their stories a little more, too!

Disclosure:  This was a sponsored post by AT&T’s My Journey series, and while I did receive compensation for my time in putting this post together, the opinions and commentary are completely my own.