CLEVELAND -- Kristal Uzelac didn't let a broken toe keep her out of the U.S. Gymnastics Championships.

The three-time junior champion made the surprise decision to compete Thursday and finished eighth in the preliminaries. She was solid on floor and vault, but struggled on beam and uneven bars.

''I feel I did good for what I could do," she said. ''I've been training really hard for this competition and I really wanted to compete.''

Uzelac had high hopes for these nationals, her first as a senior. She became the first woman to win three junior titles last year, and was expected to challenge Tasha Schwikert for the senior crown.

She broke the little toe on her right foot during practice Tuesday, and was supposed to miss four to six weeks. After talking with her doctor in Pennsylvania, though, she decided to go ahead.

Three of her toes were tightly taped, somewhat limiting her mobility. She didn't train Wednesday, so she only had the warmup period to get used to the unusual feel.

''It hurt,'' she said. ''But it's just a little toe.''