Jordyn Wieber, 16, runs away with U.S. all-around title

ST. PAUL  On a night when everything went right for Jordyn Wieber at the Visa national championships in gymnastics, things went horribly wrong for another one of the country's top gymnasts.

Wieber, in her first senior-level national championship, won the all-around title handily with 121.3 points to 115.15 for McKayla Maroney and 114.6 for Alexandra Raisman.

The celebratory mood at the Xcel Energy Center was dampened, however, by an injury to Rebecca Bross that landed the six-time world medalist in a local hospital. Bross broke her right kneecap while landing her vault in the third rotation. She came up short on the landing, twisting as she hit the mat.

The world championships are in Tokyo Oct. 8-16, and it seems highly unlikely Bross will return in time. Last year, Bross won bronze in all-around at the world meet and gold at the U.S. championships.

"It's a bad situation," women's national team coordinator Martha Karolyi said. "Rebecca is one of the key team members. Everyone is saddened."

Bross had struggled throughout the two-day competition with uncharacteristic falls. Her coach, Valeri Liukin, had attributed them to lack of repetition on her sets because of right ankle surgery last fall.

Or it could be Bross, 18, is at a crossroads mentally, which is common for gymnasts as they age from early to late teens.

"Mentally she wasn't as tough during this whole competition," Karolyi said, adding Bross might be thinking too much. Younger gymnasts tend to be more carefree; older gymnasts can get caught second-guessing themselves.

Except for a shaky start on balance beam in preliminaries, Wieber was a model of consistency.

"It's definitely a confidence booster," Wieber said.

Karolyi had a good vibe about Wieber before the meet began. "Jordyn proved herself," Karolyi said. "She is a strong person physically and mentally. I have my trust in Jordyn."

Wieber is having a banner year. The 16-year-old from DeWitt, Mich., won her second American Cup championship late last winter.

"It felt so awesome," she said of her gold medal. "I was really proud of myself."

Wieber also won individual titles on floor exercise and uneven bars.

The country's second-best gymnast turned out to be Katelyn Ohashi, 14, a junior-level competitor from Plano, Texas. Ohashi, who will be eligible for the Olympics in 2016, scored 120.95 to win the junior all-around title Saturday afternoon, eclipsing totals for senior medalists Maroney and Raisman. Ohashi had better second-day scores than senior-level gymnast Alicia Sacramone on balance beam and Wieber on uneven bars.

But gymnasts must be 16 to compete in world championships and Olympics, and that leaves Ohashi out. Karolyi and a selection committee will pick a six-member team at a selection camp near Houston next month.

And there is a lot of work ahead.

Most of the gymnasts in contention for the world team still are working out glitches in their routines. "There's room for improvement, which is OK," Sacramone, a 2008 Olympian said, "because it's worlds where I want to peak."

Shawn Johnson, the 2008 Olympian who won four medals in Beijing, left the sport and decided to return after undergoing surgery for a torn anterior cruciate ligament in her left knee from a skiing accident. She watered down her routines in her second meet since Beijing and did not compete in floor exercise. She will add difficulty in the coming weeks, and add floor exercise to her resume, to try for a spot on the world team.

"I have moves that are ready," she said. "We played it safe for consistency."

Another 2008 Olympian, Chellsie Memmel, was in contention for bronze in all-around, but she injured her shoulder on uneven bars and dropped from the bar twice before scrapping the routine. Until then, "I felt great," she said.

She, too, said she will upgrade her routines.

Wieber said she will tweak a few things, but really all she needs to do is stay consistent.