McKayla Maroney is Back to Defend Her World Vault Title

Sep 24, 2013 by Anne Phillips

McKayla Maroney at the 2011 World Championships. Photo by Melissa Perenson.

The 2011 World Championships in Tokyo marked the first major international competition for World and Olympic Champion McKayla Maroney. After making vast improvements to her routines on bars and beam, Maroney found herself second all around and first on vault at the 2011 Visa Championships. Maroney earned her place on the team for Tokyo and helped Team USA decisively win the team gold medal by delivering a strong Amanar vault and expressive floor routine during the team final.

At the conclusion of the Team competition, Maroney had one more job to do: deliver a gold medal performance in the World Vault Final. With reigning World Vault Champion Alicia Sacramone injured in training, first year senior Maroney was a favorite for this event title. In a good luck tweet, Sacramone urged Maroney to, "keep it in the family". After Kayla Williams shocked the world with World Vault gold in 2009, the American women had won two straight World titles on this event.

Event finals arrived, and Maroney delivered. She used her signature Amanar and a yurchenko half on, layout half off to confidently take the title. Not only was this a huge accomplishment, but it also set her up as a front runner for the 2012 U.S. Olympic team.

Fast forward one year, and Maroney had the chance to win America's first Olympic gold on vault. Actually, she was expected to win gold on vault. She had further distanced herself from the field by boosting her start value five tenths from Tokyo. She had been performing her new vault, the Mustafina, consistently and cleanly. After Olympic qualification, she led the field by .484 tenths. Out of every event at the London Olympics, this was the most "predictable" event on paper. But like other sports, gymnastics is often unpredictable.

Maroney stumbled on her second vault and the rest is history. She slipped into silver medal position as Romania's Sandra Izbasa capitalized on her mistake.

Perhaps if Maroney had won the Olympic gold as expected, she would not be pursuing another World medal here in Antwerp. "I didn't feel like I was done yet after the Olympics," Maroney told us just before her 2013 competitive debut at the 2013 Secret US Classic. "The second I fell on my butt at the Olympics, the first thought in my head was, 'well, I gotta go to the next one!' So, that was the first thing that popped in my head and that just kind of explains me as a person. I'm not done yet."

Martha Karolyi applauds McKayla Maroney's 2013 competitive debut on vault. Photo by Melissa Perenson.

Despite undergoing three leg surgeries since the Olympic Games, Maroney has impressively returned to full strength on vault and floor. At the Classic, Maroney easily executed her two Olympic vaults much to the delight of National Team coordinator Martha Karolyi. She even debuted a brand new tumbling pass on floor, a double layout. At the P&G Championships, she won National Titles on both events and even earned an incredible 9.70 execution score for her Amanar vault on night two. In Antwerp, Maroney will once again face expectations as "the favorite".

However, it won't be easy. This year's Vault competition is shaping up to be one of the most competitive in years. Reigning Olympic Vault Champion Izbasa has returned and looks to be in great shape. Plus, 2008 Olympic Vault Champion Hong Un Jong of North Korea is back and has competed the highest total start value in the World in 2013 with a Cheng (yurchenko half on lay out rudi off) and an Amanar. This gives her a two tenth advantage over Maroney. Hong has been off the scene in recent years due to North Korea's ban from international competition from 2010 through October 2012 following age discrepancies.

Other returners include 9-time World Vault Medalist Oksana Chusovitina, 2012 Olympic Vault Bronze Medalist Maria Paseka of Russia, reigning European Vault Champion Guilia Steingruber of Switzerland, 2011 World bronze medalist Phan Thi Ha Thanh of Vietnam, and 2012 Olympic vault finalists Ellie Black of Canada and Yamilet Pena of Cuba who famously competes a rare and risky handspring double front. Amazingly, Chusovitina is still going strong at age 38! Most recently, she claimed the silver medal behind Maroney in 2011 and will be seeking her 12th World medal in Antwerp.

Finally, first year senior Simone Biles of the USA enters the field as a serious medal contender with two clean, powerful vaults and a possible upgrade. Biles has been training a Cheng, valued at a 6.40. If she chooses to compete the difficult vault in Antwerp, it would raise her start value a full eight tenths and push her ahead of Maroney's start score.

Maroney is the only female reigning World Champion slated to defend her title in Antwerp. Will she gain Olympic redemption and maintain her World Vault Crown? Only time will tell. The women's vault final is scheduled for Saturday, October 5th in Antwerp. Gymnastike will be on-site for coverage throughout the 2013 World Championships.

For a more in-depth look at the 2013 Women's World Vault Final, click here.

UPDATE: 10/1: Maria Paseka withdrew from the World Championships with a back injury. Ellie Black did not advance to the final. View the full list of 2013 vault finalists here.

UPDATE 10/4: WATCH Maroney nail her vaults in real time and slow motion during Worlds podium training.