Alicia Sacramone evaluating injury

Multiple sites are reporting that both Alicia Sacramone and Alexandra Raisman were injured in training this morning. Both appear to have ankle problems -- Sacramone landed badly on an Arabian double front during a full floor routine, while Raisman crunched her ankles on a balance beam dismount (double tuck).


Sacramone's injury is currently being evaluated, according to USA Gymanstics and the AP. But Raisman did return to training, according to The Couch Gymnast, who is watching at Yoyogi Hall, and did bars without doing any dismounts. The U.S. training session finished at 1 p.m.


Without Sacramone, the U.S. has a few options. Her loss is most keenly felt on vault, where she is the only other gymnast besides Jordyn Wieber and McKayla Maroney to have a start score of less than 6.0. In team finals, the U.S. could likely put Gabrielle Douglas, who has a killer DTY, in her place.


She's even harder to replace on beam, but the likeliest thing the U.S. would do is to put Wieber, Raisman and Sabrina Vega up there in team finals. Beam is Vega's best and favorite event, and she has looked very good on it throughout the training.


The injury occured as Sacramone was beginning a tumbling pass on floor. She's being evaluated, and USA Gymnastics expected to have further information later in the day. Qualifying at worlds begins Friday, and the U.S. women compete Saturday.


If Sacramone can't go, it would be a huge loss for the Americans. She's the unquestioned team leader, one of only two Americans who's competed at a world championships, and provides big scores on vault, balance beam and floor. She's the defending world champion on vault, and her nine world medals tie her with Shannon Miller and Nastia Liukin for most by an American.