As we hit the end of the decade, Yahoo! Sports is taking a look back at the past ten years in sports. Here at Fourth-Place Medal, we're looking through the best and the worst of the last five Olympics. Today, the most memorable moments in gymnastics.

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At the start of the fourth and final rotation at the women's gymnastics all-around world championship in London, it was clear that an American would be atop the medal stand. The only question remained was which American, Bridget Sloan or Rebecca Bross?

Sloan, the American all-around champion, hit a solid, if not difficult, floor routine. When Bross, who trains at the same gymnasium as Olympic all-around champion Nastia Liukin, took the floor, she knew she needed to nail the routine to win the championship. Her first two passes were good, but on her final pass, she fell forward, placing both hands onto the mat. With that, she only scored a 12.875. That pushed her to second place, opening the door for Sloan to win the world championship. Japan's Koko Tsumuri finished in third place.

An Olympian in Bejing, Sloan's experience showed with her calm demeanor and steadiness. Her win was marked by performances that weren't as high in difficulty as her competitors, but were clean. Bross had more difficulty and a near-perfect balance beam and bars, but the floor exercise mistake was too much to come back from. Tsumuri led through two rotations, but the lack of difficulty on her vault kept her from staying at the top of the leaderboard. 

This 1-2 finish for America comes a year after the U.S. took the gold and silver in the all-around at the Olympics with Liukin and Shawn Johnson. Though there are different people leading the pack, America still dominates women's gymnastics. On the other hand, China, who had been so dominant at the Beijing Olympics, fell behind today, as neither of their athletes placed in the top five.

As is expected in the year after an Olympics, most of the household names take time off, whether to heal and decide if they want to continue or retire outright. However, experience did pay off for one of the stars of the 2008 Olympic Games, Japan's Kohei Uchimura, who won the men's all-around on Thursday in London, the site of the 2012 Summer Olympics.

The messy-haired Uchimura took silver in the All-Around at last year's games after falling twice on the pommel horse. There were no such errors today, as he scored a 16.050 on the vault, a 15.625 on a high-flying floor exercise and sealed his win with a thrilling high bar routine with several high-flying release moves that earned a 14.975.

Great Britain's hometown boy, Daniel Keatings, did not disappoint the London crowd, finishing second on the back of consistent scores. He edged out Russia's Yury Ryazanov who took home the bronze.

As expected, the American men were shut out. Newcomer Tim McNeill was in second place after the qualification round, but was knocked out of contention by a poor high bar score. He finished in seventh place. Last year's Olympic fan favorite, Jonathan Horton, fell on the floor exercise and never recovered. He finished in 17th place.

America's medal chances should improve on Friday when the women compete for the All-Around title. Rebecca Bross is in first place after the qualifiers, with her teammate Bridget Sloan in fifth place. 

As the confetti clears from Rio de Janeiro's Olympic win, the U.S. contingent has begun to look for reasons that the Chicago bid lost so spectacularly. If it's the United States Olympic Committee asking, the chair of NBC Sports says that they might want to look in a mirror.

"They don't need to have any more Congressional reforms," Dick Ebersol (pictured) said, referring to the hearings that led to USOC reorganization in 2003. "Just get real leaders. You've either got people who were hired by search firms or people who don't care enough to make it their full time jobs."

Instability at the top levels of the USOC has been the norm. Jim Scherr was pushed out as CEO in March, and the current acting CEO, Stephanie Streeter, has been less-than-emphatic in her commitment to the job. Larry Probst, chairman of the board of the USOC, also hasn't shown the world that he is too thrilled with his position.

Probst and Streeter have both avoided working the international sports political scene. Neither one attended an important International Olympic Committee meeting in June. Since they are both perceived as inexperienced, they should not be missing anything that could give them a chance to get to know other players in the international sports world. 

Probst's position is volunteer, but Streeter is paid more than a half million dollars a year. She can't be bothered with going to a meeting that was crucial to Chicago's bid?

"It is my feeling that everything which happened (at the USOC), all the changes of people, the information about salaries which were paid, (it) probably played a certain role and did not give full confidence," IOC member Denis Oswald said when asked for an explanation of how a strong Chicago bid went out in the first round.

If there is any characteristic that is found in every single Olympian -- from curlers to gymnasts to skiers to wrestlers -- it is dedication. Olympians exhibit a near-psychotic dedication to their sport. It's quite a slap in the face to these athletes when the leaders of the USOC can't show the dedication that their job requires. 

Rio de Janeiro is going to be an amazing host for the Olympics. They know how to throw a party, so the 2016 Olympics will be a celebration like none other. But as a lifelong Chicagoan, I can't help but feel that the world is missing out by not bringing the party to the Windy City.

As I stood among the thousands gathered at Daley Plaza for the announcement rally, I marveled at the different groups represented there. Black, white, Latino, Asian, young, old, suburban, rural, urban -- we were all there. The protesters I've heard so much about, but haven't actually seen? They were not there. All of that support from an incredibly diverse group of people? The 2016 Olympics won't have that.

Riding the L home, I passed by the DePaul men's soccer team's practice. It's uncanny that no matter the time of year, whenever I walk out my front door, I see some Chicagoan practicing a sport. Whether they are running along the lakefront, going to a Bears game, or playing basketball at a nearby court, Chicagoans are passionate about sports. That undying devotion to all things sports? The 2016 Olympics won't have that.

As I walked home from the L stop, I passed by Thai, Mexican, Italian, German, Greek, Spanish, Indian and American restaurants, all fragrant from their lunchtime offerings. I stood in the shadow of beautifully designed buildings. The food and architecture that Chicago is known for? The 2016 Olympics won't have that.

Though they will be charmed in Rio, the world will miss out by not coming to my city for the Olympic games. Chicago, on the other hand, will be just fine. This is a city that has survived a fire, floods, riots and a century of futility from one of its baseball teams. Nothing, not even losing the Olympics, can break our spirit. 

Fourth-Place Medal's Maggie Hendricks will be at Chicago's rally to hear the IOC announce which city will host the 2016 Summer Olympics. Follow the day's activities on our live blog, and stick with Fourth-Place Medal throughout the day. 

Just days before the International Olympic Committee is set to announce the host for the 2016 Summer Olympics, candidate city Rio de Janeiro canceled international swim events because of a lack of funding. A World Cup for next month and events scheduled for the next three years are all off because Rio, quite simply, doesn't have the cash to make it happen.

“There are no financial resources. They cannot find any funding. They say they cannot do it,” Cornel Marculescu, the executive director of swimming governing body FINA, told The Associated Press on Tuesday.

Rio de Janeiro is said to be neck and neck with Chicago, followed by Madrid and Tokyo, in the race to win the 2016 Olympics. At this point in the bid process, candidate cities are pulling out all the stops to prove their city's worthiness. This sort of slip-up can cast quite the pall on the Rio bid.

One of the main things that the IOC looks at in selecting a host city is the success a candidate city has had in hosting previous international sporting events. Having hosted the Pan-American Games -- a North and South American version of the Olympics -- Rio had an edge in this category. But shutting down an event that is just a month away for lack of money could prove a body blow for Rio's bid.

The chief of FINA claims that this shouldn't affect Rio's chances for the Olympics:

“I only know about my own sport, and there will be no World Cup in Rio for the next four years,” he said. “The Olympic Games is a different budget. Rio’s proposals for aquatics venues are very good.”

Right. Marculescu wisely says that he only knows his own sport, sidestepping the question. It wouldn't look good for the head of the governing body of one of the Olympics' showcase sports to come out and say, "What are they thinking?!?"

Canceling the swim events in Rio plays in contrast to a Chicago bid that is downright jubilant. The city's delegation, chock full of Olympians, left O'Hare International Airport amid a good luck party, and arrived to the cheers of Danes wearing Chicago Bears colors.

The city also has added two of its most well-known residents to the delegation. Oprah Winfrey signed on last week, and reversing an earlier decision, Pres. Obama will now travel to Copenhagen for Chicago's presentation.

Will all this be enough for the Windy City, or will Rio still win out? Can Tokyo or Madrid pull the upset? Keep checking with Fourth-Place Medal as we follow the bid. FPM will have full coverage on Friday, when the announcement is made in Copenhagen. 

While it's true that Pres. Obama is unlikely to go to Copenhagen to stump for Chicago's Olympic bid, the city has another resident who will be there. She may even carry more influence than the president. Who could that be?

Why, Oprah Winfrey, of course.

Winfrey, who tapes the show at the heart of her empire in Chicago, will head to Copenhagen as part of the Chicago 2016 delegation. She will try to sway the votes of the IOC as they decide between Chicago, Rio de Janeiro, Tokyo and Madrid for the host city of the 2016 Summer Olympics.

"I love and believe in Chicago, and I think it would be the perfect Host City for the 2016 Olympic and Paralympic Games," said Winfrey.

With every bid city looking to gain any edge they can, Chicago will have the advantage of a woman who can make an unknown author a best seller or can give an unknown doctor a television show. Winfrey's popularity doesn't stop in the U.S., as her show is syndicated overseas, as well. 

She is part of a team that will include first lady Michelle Obama and 26 former Olympians. That group includes Nadia Comaneci, Bart Conner, Bob Ctvrtlik, Gary Hall, Jr., Michael Johnson, Jackie Joyner-Kersee, Nastia Liukin, Edwin Moses and Kerri Walsh. 

This isn't the first time Oprah has shown support for the Olympic movement. After the 2008 Olympics, she hosted a show for the American Olympians in Chicago's Millennium Park.

On Oct. 2, the International Olympic Committee will decide the fate of the 2016 Olympic games. As the date nears, the candidate cities are doing everything they can to step up their profile in the eyes of the IOC.

Brazil's president is headed to Copenhagen, where the vote will take place, and is touting the beautiful beaches of Rio. Japan's Prime Minister plans on attending the vote on behalf of Tokyo, as does King Juan Carlos of Spain who will back Madrid's bid.

And for Chicago, Pres. Obama is sending a letter.

Wait, what? A letter? That is how the president is supporting a bid for the Olympics from not just his home country, but his hometown? If Chicago wins the bid, the Olympic Stadium will be a stones throw from his home near the University of Chicago. The Obamas, who recently hosted a "Support the Bid" bash on the lawn of the White house, could walk to the games.

The President is sending an emissary: his wife. Hopefully, Michelle Obama will be able to charm the room as first ladies like Jacqueline Kennedy have done in the past. She was well-received during the president's summer tour of Europe and Africa. If that good will carries over, Chicago will still be in the running.

In addition to Mrs. Obama, the Chicago delegation will feature the city's schlubby but charming mayor, Richard Daley. Though he has a classic Chicago accent, and is rough around the edges, Mayor Daley has an ability to persuade like few others.

But Pres. Obama could have been Chicago's ace in the hole. In previous Olympic city bids, both Russian president Boris Yeltsin and British prime minister Tony Blair played a key role in securing the games for their countries. Pres. Obama is quite popular internationally, and his presence might have awed the IOC into checking the box next to "Chicago" on their ballot.

In a report released by the International Olympic Committee today on all four cities bidding for the 2016 Olympic games, each city had potentially damning flaws discussed. No clear-cut leader was delineated between Chicago, Tokyo, Rio De Janiero and Madrid. 

Chicago's plan was called, in more than one place, ambitious but achievable. The Windy City's biggest problem was that at the time of the IOC's visit, there was no financial back-up for the Games. However, at an IOC meeting in June, Chicago Mayor Richard Daley said that the city would provide financial backing. Chicago's two other potential problems are the reliance on temporary venues and transportation problems. 

Tokyo's biggest issue is that its people don't support the bid, and the Olympics do not like to go to a place that they are not wanted. Only 56 percent of the citizens of Tokyo want the games, the lowest amount of support among the bid cities. The IOC is also concerned about the size of the space allotted for the Olympic Village, and the lack of existing venues. Tokyo would need to build 17 venues for the Games. Tokyo's biggest strength is that it already has $3.7 billion banked as reserve money for the Games.

There was no surprise in Rio's weakness which is safety. As the IOC so delicately worded it, "public safety would pose a challenge" in Rio. Considering that the U.S. State department says that "crime in Brazil has reached very high levels," the IOC may be underplaying that card. The IOC is also concerned that there will not be enough hotel rooms in time for the Games, though Rio does enjoy the highest amount of local support, at 85 percent.

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