Winning day ‘a dream come true’

The finish to Alexandra Raisman’s Olympics was so much more fabulous than the start.

Raisman, an 18-year-old from Needham, Mass., who was often overlooked on this U.S. women’s gymnastics team, did something no American woman has ever done. She won the Olympic gold medal in floor exercise.

When Romanian Sandra Izbasa, the reigning Olympic floor champion, landed her last tumbling pass on her head and shoulder, Raisman could finally smile.

Earlier Tuesday, Raisman had also won a bronze medal on the balance beam, but only after her coach protested her initial low score of 14.966.

Raisman endured an agonizing wait until judges watched a replay of her routine and gave her credit for all the difficult skills she had completed. Her new score of 15.066 put Raisman into a third-place tie with another Romanian, Catalina Ponor, and this time the tiebreaker went in Raisman’s favor.

Raisman had finished tied with Aliya Mustafina for the all-around bronze medal last week but finished fourth after the tiebreaker procedure did not go her way.

Raisman’s participation in the all-around had come at the expense of Jordyn Wieber, the reigning world champion who had finished fourth overall in qualifying behind Raisman and eventual winner Gabrielle Douglas.

Since only two women per country are allowed to compete in the 24-woman final, Wieber was left crying and on the sidelines. She was teary-eyed again Tuesday after leaving the Olympics without an individual medal. She finished seventh.

Wieber’s attempt at personal fulfillment ended badly Tuesday when she stepped out of bounds early in her floor exercise routine.

Wieber’s coach, John Geddert, said that he wasn’t making excuses but that Wieber had been suffering from a bruised heel all during the competition. Wieber wouldn’t even mention pain. “I’m fine,” she said. “I’m fine.”

China won two of the other three gold medals handed out on the final day of artistic gymnastics competition. Deng Linlin was triumphant on the balance beam, edging out teammate Sui Lu, who got the silver. And Feng Zhe won parallel bars gold.

American men were not so distinguished.

All-around bronze medalist Danell Leyva finished fifth and 2008 silver medalist Jonathan Horton finished sixth on the horizontal bar. Dutch specialist Epke Zonderland thrilled the crowd with a jaw-dropping routine that scored 16.533. Germany’s Fabian Hambuchen got the silver, and 2008 Olympic champion Zou Kai of China settled for bronze.

For Raisman, though, Tuesday was the ultimate in triumphs.

She proudly uses the Hebrew folk song “Hava Nagila” as her floor music and she acknowledged fans who waved American and Israeli flags in the arena.

“Today has been a dream come true,” Raisman said. “It was the best floor routine I’ve ever done.

Raisman said she didn’t intentionally choose her floor music as a tribute to the Israeli athletes who were killed at the Munich Olympics 40 years ago.

“But having that music makes this very special to me,” she said.

Gabrielle Douglas, the 16-year-old from Virginia Beach, Va., who had become the sparkling, smiling face of this Olympics by becoming the first American to win team and all-around gold at the same Olympics, seemed worn out by the attention that had come her way last week. She almost fell off the balance beam and finished seventh.

“It’s OK,” Douglas said. “This has still been great.”

Raisman agreed.

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diane.pucin@latimes.com

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