In what could be a preview of the 2012 London Olympics, teenagers Rebecca Bross and Ana Porgras went 1-2 in qualifying Wednesday at the world gymnastics championships in the same O2 Arena where the event will be held in 2012.

Bross, an American, finished with 57.4 points, a mere one-tenth ahead of Porgras. Australia’s Lauren Mitchell was third and Deng Linlin of China fourth. U.S. champion Bridget Sloan was fifth (56.075) after a fall on balance beam.

Bross just turned 16, Porgras will do so in December.

Bross, a unique mix of power and lightness, scored 15.050 on uneven bars and was topped only by Olympic gold medalist He Kexin, whose difficult routines are legendary.

Porgras had no major mistakes and showed the kind of class on balance beam Romanians are known for, landing aerial somersaults and handsprings with little effort.

Scoring starts over in Friday’s all-around final.

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