When Jordyn Wieber was faced with disappointment on day two of the 2012 London Olympics, her fellow “Fab Five” teammates — Aly Raisman, Mckayla Maroney, Kyla Ross and Gabby Douglas — wouldn’t let her spirits stay down for long. After the 5-foot-2 athlete failed to qualify for the All-Around finals while her teammates Raisman and Douglas advanced, the quintet’s support system was stronger than ever.
The 17-year-old gymnast says that despite the gymnasts’ individual success (Douglas, 16, earned the gold for the All-Around Finals while Raisman, 18, took home a bronze and gold for the Balance Beam and Floor Exercise, respectively), there’s no jealousy. In fact, they’re as thick as thieves.
“I think that’s why we did so well at the team finals — we were right there beside each other cheering each other on,” Wieber told Us Weekly at the P&G Family Home on Wednesday in London of their July 31 gold medal victory. “If we were competing on any other day, we’d be in the stands cheering just as loud. It was really important to have that team support. It’s definitely motivating and nice knowing that your teammates are behind you.”
Besides each other, the Fab Five has been getting an impressive amount of support from celebrities including Justin Bieber and Taylor Swift.
“We were all so excited,” Wieber told Us of the teen superstars tweeting their congrats to the gymnasts. “It’s definitely cool to get attention from celebrities and know that they’re watching you!”
The group — that has an average age of 16 and a half — will have more bonding time once they’re back stateside.
“We don’t really have too much normalcy ahead because we’re only home for two weeks and then we leave for rehearsals for the Kellogg’s Tour of Champions,” Wieber said of the schedule ahead.
