Romania continues to be a gymnastics powerhouse, with a third place at the 2007 World Championships. Its two leading gymnasts will be Sandra Izbasa and Steliana Nistor. Izbasa won a gold medal in the Floor Exercise at the 2006 European Championships in Volas, Greece. Nistor is the most experienced gymnast on Romania's team and will be a medal threat in the All-Around and Balance Beam.
Russia will be nervous of missing out on its first team medal since 1952 after it performed poorly at the 2007 World Championships. The key to its Olympic campaign will be 21-year-old Anna Pavlova, who has been touted as the heir apparent to the retired Svetlana Khorkina, a seven-time Olympic medalist. Pavlova was very close to winning an All-Around medal at Athens, finishing fourth. Her best event is vault. Ksenia Semenova is Russia's strongest individual medal hope – she won the gold in Uneven Bars at the 2007 World Championship, beating Nastia Liukin.
Italy and Great Britain could muscle in and have a chance to win a team medal on the back of some outstanding individual talent. Italy's Vanessa Ferrari won an All-Around gold medal at the 2006 World Championships and earned a total of three gold medals at the 2006 and 2007 World Championships. Aside from giving Italy a chance to snare a Team medal, she will be looking to win individual medals in the All-Around and Floor Exercise events.
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