USA Gymnastics Preview: Men's And Women's Squads Both Expect Gold

The men's and women's USA gymnastics squads head to the 2012 London Olympics expecting gold. The women's team, especially, are heavy favorites after winning the most recent world championships by a wide margin over second-place Russia and third-place China.

The women's team is highlighted by Jordyn Wieber, the 2011 all-around gold medalist at the World Championships, and Gabby Douglas, who took silver behind Wieber in the all-around at the 2012 U.S. Championships. Needham, Mass., native Aly Raisman also expects to perform well on a loaded squad.

A gold medal is well within sight for the men's team, despite their historical lack of podium appearances. Be sure to keep an eye on Danell Leyva and John Orozco, in particular. Leyva won gold at the world championships in parallel bars in 2011.

Below are the gold medal dates for gymnastics events:

July 30: Men's team final

July 31: Women's team final

Aug. 1: Men's individual all-around

Aug. 2: Women's individual all-around

Aug. 5: Men's floor exercise final, women's vault final, men's pommel horse final

Aug. 6: Men's rings final, women's uneven bars final, men's vault final

Aug. 7: Men's parallel bars final, women's balance beam final, men's horizontal bar final, women's floor exercise final

For more on the 2012 Summer Olympics, please be sure to check out SB Nation Boston for all the latest news and updates.