U.S. Women's Gymnastics Team: "We Knew That We Could Do It"

Taking their place in Olympic history and in America's heart, the U.S. Women's gymnastics team won the gold medal in London yesterday (July 31).

The medal is the first gold for the U.S. in the event since the 1996 Atlanta Games. Aly Raisman, 18, Jordyn Wieber, 17, Gabby Douglas, 16, Kyla Ross, 15, and McKayla Maroney, 16, earned a score of 183.596 putting them way ahead of runners up Russia and Romania.

The teamwork of the group was evident throughout their events. "I think we're as close as we can be after this whole experience. I've known Kyla since I was 6 years old," Maroney explained. "This is not a lie . . . we're all best friends and after this, I'll probably want to go visit each girl and vacation together. That's how close we are. I love them so much. I can't believe I'm an Olympic champion . . . it's awesome!"

Each team member's support of the other girls was clear. Ross told Us Weekly, "It's really special to all win our gold medals with this team. We've all been working and training together for a long time, and especially me and McKayla, who grew up together. That definitely helps the team atmosphere and how we all did tonight."

Her teammate Maroney gushed, "I'm so in shock right now! I can't believe I have this gold medal around my neck. It's absolutely amazing. I'm just so happy for all these girls. They did so great today and I just love this team so much. We knew that we could do it, but the most important thing is that we all believed ourselves today, and we hit our routines. I'm so happy with the outcome."

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