McKayla Maroney is an adorable, sixteen-year-old girl who just so happens to be “far and away the best vaulter in the world.” Not a bad spot to be in before even being able to drive. The athlete is the US Gymnastics Team’s resident vault pro, and she’s so good that she was brought to the London games solely to compete on the vault. Her moves in the all-around competition were practically perfect (hence that gold medal hanging around her neck), and she’s competing today in the individual vault and is the obvious favorite to snag the top prize.

If her moves alone aren’t reason enough to love her, we’ve got a list of 9 other awesome things to adore about McKayla. If you don’t trust us, trust Lady Gaga — the singer wrote her the gushiest tweet we’ve ever seen.

1. Lady Gaga is fangirling her, and you know it’s serious when Mother Monster is obsessed with you.

2. Even the Olympic judges are in awe of her vaulting skills.

[photo: Buzzfeed]

3. She’s competing in the Olympics with a broken toe.

And yet she’s all smiles.

4. She’s been featured in the pages of Glamour and Teen Vogue.

5. She’s social media junkie, constantly updating her Twitter and Instagram with adorable pics like this:

And this:

And this:

6. She kinda looks like Victoria Beckham…and she knows it. (We think she looks like Ashley Benson a little, too!)

7. Stephen Colbert even recreated her killer vault on his show.

8. Her best friend in the whole world is her Olympic teammate, Kyla Ross. They’ve known each other since they were wee gymnasts.

9. SHE TOUCHED RYAN LOCHTE! (And lived to Instagram it.)

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