A minor concussion and a nasal fracture have left the Olympic hopes of 16-year-old U.S. gymnast McKayla Maroney up in the air. The reigning world vault champion, who hails from Long Beach, Calif., had been a favorite to head to London on the five-woman U.S. team, and in good health she was the overwhelming favorite to win the individual gold in vault in London. But the U.S. team's coordinator Martha Karolyi had wanted Maroney to prove herself on another event at Nationals, too — and Maroney was unable to do so after she hit her head on the floor in warm-ups and suffered the concussion and fracture. NBC Olympics' Alexa Ainsworth points out, moreover, that there is no standard timeline for recovery from a concussion, leaving it unclear how, or whether, Maroney's injury could affect any Olympic performance.
