The Women's All Around Final differs from the Men's Final in that there are less gymnasts in the running for medals and only a handful that can compete for the gold. Additionally, there is no Kohei Uchimura figure - a dominant favorite who stands well above the rest.  Below are the athletes to watch for in the medal hunt, along with an analysis of their strengths and weaknesses.

 

Viktoria Komova, Russia

 

The silver medalist from last year's World Championships, Komova placed first in the qualification round.  An elegant gymnast with high difficulty scores, it will likely come down to beam and floor exercise to decide Komova's fate.  

 

On uneven bars, she shows a stunning routine, complete with a piked Tkatchev, a layout Jaeger and a soaring double-double dismount.  And her Amanar vault has been secure throughout the Games.  

 

It is balance beam and floor exercise where Komova is known to drop the ball and let her nerves get the best of her.  If she can max out those two key routines, Russia may have its first female Olympic all around champion.
 

 

Gabby Douglas, USA

 

Like Komova, Douglas has all the talent and difficulty to win gold.  It will be her mental game which likely decides her day.  The only gymnast to score 15+ on all four events thus far in London, Douglas has looked better than ever at her first Olympics.  

 

Her Amanar vault, a skill she's struggled with in the past, has been spot-on, scoring north of 15.9 in the team competition.  She has twice conquered the balance beam, her nemesis, and her execution of difficult elements has been stunning, earning her a spot in the beam final.  

 

On bars, the strict Olympic scoring has kept her score in the low 15 range, but she has looked confident in London on her signature event.  Douglas's only miscue came on floor exercise - an errant Arabian double front that bounced out of bounds in qualifications.  She corrected the error in Team Finals, helping the U.S. women to gold.

 

If Gabby keeps doing her thing, she may delight her fans by running away with all around gold.
 

 

Aly Raisman, USA

 

While many were surprised to see Raisman surpass teammate Jordyn Wieber to advance to the all around final, it was not surprising to see Aly hit all of her routines in doing so.  With consistency on her side, it is not a stretch for Raisman to outright win a medal on Thursday, even if the rest of the field hits.  

 

Like Douglas, Raisman has never looked better than at the 2012 Games, tidying up the form on her Amanar vault and also throughout her uneven bars routine.  Still, with a low scoring potential on the apparatus, Raisman cannot afford to slip up like she did at the 2010 and 2011 World Championships in the all around.  

 

Ending on her two strongest events, look for Raisman to move up the standings throughout the competition.
 

 

Aliya Mustafina, Russia

 

For Mustafina, gold looks to be a long shot after fighting to return from an ACL tear last year.  That is, unless she can successfully perform the Amanar vault she is said to still have up her sleeve.  If not, she may need Douglas or Komova to slip up to nab the top spot.

 

A fierce competitor, Mustafina will aim to tighten up her gymnastics on beam and floor in the final, holding onto each valuable tenth along the way.  Look for her to make a strong statement on uneven bars, her best event, where she has scored as high as 15.7 at the Games.  

 

If Mustafina can nail her routines, the stars just may align for her to return to the gold medal stand - a spot she has dearly missed since 2010.
 

 

Larisa Iordache, Romania

 

A favorite coming in to the Olympics, injury has slowed Iordache, limiting her training time on floor exercise.  Like Raisman, she is weak on bars and needs to max out her routines on beam and floor to have a shot at gold.  The question on Thursday will be: is Iordache healthy enough to do so?

 

Training an Amanar for these Games, that skill likely won't pan out in the all around, further hurting her chances for gold.  The good news for Iordache is that she has had extra days to rest her injured foot, sitting out floor exercise for Romania in the Team Final.  With luck, the break will help her come out fresh and challenge for a place atop the podium.

 

Spoilers:

 

While the top gymnasts will be hard to reach, several athletes are in position to surprise if luck is on their side.  British talents Rebecca Tunney and Hannah Whelan will have a home crowd behind them and Whelan won the bronze medal at this year's European Championships.  

 

Romanian veteran Sandra Izbasa is weaker on bars and beam, but among the best in the world on vault and floor.  If she can hit to the best of her ability, she may be in the medal hunt.  

Likewise, the Chinese athletes, Deng Linlin and Huang Qiushuang, are major talents with a number of high-scoring routines.  Both have struggled with consistency, however, and will need to overcome the Olympic jitters to place well.

Italy's Vanessa Ferrari also had a good showing in the qualifications and is one of the best in the world on floor exercise.  A former World all around champion, she still shows that competitive fire in her performances.

The Women's All Around Final will take place at 11:30 a.m. EST on August 2. Follow LIVE Updates HERE.