Obama asks gold-winning women gymnasts: ‘How do you not bust your head?'

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President Barack Obama telephoned the five members of Team USA's women gymnasts on Wednesday to congratulate them on winning the gold in London—and to express his astonishment at their gravity-defying exploits.

"I told these young ladies, as I was congratulating them: 'How do you not bust your head every time you're on that little balance beam? I couldn't walk across that balance beam," Obama told supporters at a campaign rally in Mansfield, Ohio.

The president expressed pride in all of America's athletes in London, underlining that "the wonderful thing about the Olympics is, it reminds us that for all our differences, when it comes down to our country, we're Americans first."

"And we could not be prouder of them and everything they're doing on our behalf," said Obama. But the gymnastics competition clearly left its mark on the basketball- and golf-loving president.

"I have to tell you, when I'm watching—when people run track, you know, I understand. I know how to run, they're just much faster. And I know how to swim, they just swim much better than I do," he said.

"These gymnastics folks, I don't understand how they do what they do," he said.