LONDON — The ear-to-ear smile of 16-year-old American Gabby Douglas and the tears of Russian Victoria Komova told the story of Olympic triumph and heartbreak in the women's all-around gymnastics on Thursday.

As Douglas waved presidentially to family, friends and team mates cheering her coronation as the new first lady of gymnastics, Komova slumped into a chair and pressed her hands to her face to try to stem the tears that flowed for the loss of the gold medal.

Not satisfied with silver, world champion Komova removed the medal from around her neck between leaving the awards ceremony and getting to the exit door of North Greenwich Arena's competition hall.

“It was too heavy,” she told waiting reporters via a translator, saying the medal had been consigned to the pocket of her red-and-white track suit.

Douglas, meanwhile, had barely stopped grinning since the giant scoreboard suspended in the middle of North Greenwich Arena had flashed up her new status.

“It just feels amazing to be called the Olympic champion; I'm so honored to be named that,” said the teenager dubbed the “Flying Squirrel” for the shape she makes on her favorite apparatus, the asymmetric bars.

Douglas bounced down from the floor with a huge smile after finishing the evening with a storming routine that had the crowd clapping along.

In the space of five months, Douglas has upset the gymnastics order in the world and at home. Allowed to compete unofficially at the American Cup in March, she outscored all the established women.