By Neil Schmidt
Enquirer staff writer

Mohini Bhardwaj's first name means "illusion" in Hindi. Watching her whip every which way during her specialty vault, the Yurchenko double twist, makes that explanation apt.

For the Cincinnati native - ancient at 25, previously retired - there's plenty of magic at work here.

"Mohini can unveil a super-powerful vault, which is what the U.S. is in desperate need of," analyst Elfi Schlegel said on NBC.com. "She has great gymnastics."

Bhardwaj's story has a global flair. Her mother, Indu, is from Russia and her father, Kaushal, is from India; they met in Canada. Mohini was born in Philadelphia, grew up here, then lived in Orlando, Houston and Los Angeles.

Bhardwaj found a fairy godmother in actress Pamela Anderson, a former gymnast and fellow vegetarian who has donated $20,000 and will reportedly cheer the team on in Athens.

Bhardwaj is part of perhaps the finest U.S. team in history, one favored to win gold. Her coaches left off three individual world champions in favor of a strategic lineup. Bhardwaj, the 2001 national vault champion, is that event's hammer.

"I'm so excited," Bhardwaj said. "I'm ready to go."

This group is already being dubbed the Magnificent Six. The so-called Magnificent Seven, which won Olympic gold in 1996, included Cincinnatians Amanda Borden and Jaycie Phelps.