Battle starts in training for USA's Wieber

Reigning all-around world champion Jordyn Wieber admitted on Thursday the American women's gymnastics team were seeking to intimidate their rivals with slick displays in training. The five gymnasts in the US team produced an impressively business-like showing during Thursday's podium training at the North Greenwich Arena. Watching on were some of their fellow competitors who will come up against the USA in qualifying on Sunday, and teenage sensation Wieber admitted their presence gave her and her team-mates extra motivation to put on a show. "We notice a little bit," she said. "It just makes us want to be even stronger in our training. It's all about intimidation when you're in the training gym, so that's something we always focus on." Asked if they tried to psyche their opponents out, Wieber replied: "Yeah, a little bit. We go out there and do our normal training and I think that's enough to show them that we're strong and ready to compete." The American women -- Wieber, Gabrielle Douglas, McKayla Maroney, Alexandra Raisman and Kyla Ross -- were noticeably strong on the vault, reeling off a string of complicated Amanar vaults as soon as they entered the arena. The Amanar is a challenging vault with a two-and-a-half twist, and America are thought to have the only female team in which every gymnast is capable of pulling it off. "We've all been working so hard on the vault to get those Amanars not just hit, but also good landings, which is the most important thing," said the 17-year-old Wieber. "I'm really proud of everyone today for going out and hitting our two-and-a-halves (Amanars) strong right at the beginning of the practice. It was really great for us." Wieber claimed all-around individual gold at last year's world championships in Tokyo but is expected to face stiff competition from the Russian pair of Viktoria Komova and Aliya Mustafina -- the 2010 world champion -- in London. She also faces challenges from within her own team, most notably from Douglas, but Wieber insists she is focused on the women's team event, which takes place on Tuesday. "That's what comes first," she said. "We're all just focused on everything we can do to help the team and get every little tenth out of our routines that we can, because I feel that's what it's going to come down to. "A step on a landing or sticking it -- it could be that much difference." With just two days to go until the women's gymnastics begins, Raisman revealed that, away from the arena, the American girls have been doing their best to put the stress of competing out of their minds. "When we're in the gym we've been working so hard and we're so focused, so when we leave the gym, just being able to meet the other athletes is really fun," she said. "Just being able to hang out with all these girls is a blast. We're having a good time and we're really enjoying ourselves." Wieber, meanwhile, had a final warning for her rivals. "I would've competed today if I could have," she said. "I was just really anxious to come in and see the arena and feel out everything. I think after this practice, we all feel a lot more confident and ready to go on Sunday."