USA impress despite Wieber heartbreak

The United States shone in qualifying for the women's artistic gymnastics on Sunday, despite reigning world champion Jordyn Wieber failing to qualify for the women's individual all-around final. An assured performance from the American quintet saw them top the team rankings with a score of 181.863 after the third of the day's five qualifying sessions, far above hosts Great Britain (170.656) and Italy (168.397). Eight teams qualify for Tuesday's all-around team final, with Russia, Romania, China and Japan among the countries who will be seeking to secure their places later on Sunday. It was an ominous performance from America, but there was personal heartbreak for Wieber, who missed out on a place in the individual final by the narrowest of margins. Wieber's score of 60.032 was the third-highest of the session but because she was beaten by two of her own team-mates, Alexandra Raisman (60.391) and Gabrielle Douglas (60.265), she will not be able to compete in Thursday's final. World vault champion McKayla Maroney confirmed her status as the favourite in the event with a score of 15.800, while Douglas top-scored on the balance beam. Britain's gymnasts were treated to a rapturous reception, and team leader Beth Tweddle brought the crowd to their feet with an elegant uneven bars performance that gave her a huge leading score of 16.133.