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A Gymnastics Friendship That Comes Together At The Top

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By JULIET MACUR New York Times News Service

The Tampa Tribune

Published: August 16, 2008

BEIJING - On the eve of the Olympic all-around final in women's gymnastics, teammates Nastia Liukin and Shawn Johnson sat together in their room at the athletes' village, looking at the calendars they had at their bedside.

They had crossed off days leading up to the Beijing Games, then marked off every day at the Games. After the long journey they had taken together to reach this point, they knew exactly what the next date meant.

Within 24 hours, if the prognosticators were right, one of them would be an Olympic champion. "Can you believe this? Tomorrow is the day," Liukin told Johnson, just before they went to sleep.

When Friday finally came, the two friends knew they could not share gymnastics' top prize, but they did end up sharing tears. Months earlier, they had talked about finishing 1-2 at the Olympics, and they did just that.

Liukin, 18, won the gold medal with an elegant performance reminiscent of a prima ballerina. In a leotard that was hot pink, her favorite color, she moved nearly flawlessly and fluidly.

As she stood atop the podium at the National Indoor Stadium, Liukin cried through the national anthem, overwhelmed by her success.

"I'm still kind of shocked and not quite sure what we are celebrating," Liukin said later. "It hasn't hit me. It's definitely a huge accomplishment. I'll definitely remember it for the rest of my life."

Many thought Johnson, the reigning world champion and two-time defending national champion, would win the gold medal. But she finished second, sixth-tenths of a point back. Never before had two American gymnasts finished 1-2 in the all-around.

China's Yang Yilin, whose age has been questioned before and during these Olympics, finished third. The Chinese had won the first three gold medals awarded in gymnastics competition in Beijing.

For Anastasia Valeryevna Liukin, who was born in Moscow but moved to the United States when she was 21/2, the road to Beijing was particularly bumpy.

She would have been a gold-medal contender at the 2004 Olympics, but missed the age cut-off. (Gymnasts at the Olympics must turn 16 during the year of the Games.)

She had surgery on her right ankle in 2006, just as Johnson surged to the top of the sport. In 2007, Liukin finished fifth in the all-around at the world championships, while Johnson won. Many thought Liukin was finished in the sport.

But her parents - former elite-level gymnasts for the Soviet Union - encouraged her. Valeri Liukin, her father and coach - and a two-time Olympic gold medalist - told her that he believed she still could be a champion. Her mother, the former Anna Kotchneva, a former world champion in rhythmic gymnastics, gave her pep talks.

"There were some doubters," Nastia Liukin said. "But, honestly, I think it made me stronger."

Then, earlier this year at the Tyson American Cup, Liukin became the only woman to beat Johnson since Johnson began competing as a senior gymnast last year. She then finished second to Johnson at the national championships and the Olympic trials.

Liukin and Johnson were the only two women named to the U.S. team at the Olympic trials and, when confetti fell from the rafters in celebration, they each grabbed a handful and sprinkled it atop each other's heads.

In the Olympic all-around, each excelled at her specialty. Johnson, a 4-foot-9, 90-pound sparkplug, was better on vault, with a 15.875 to Liukin's 15.025. Liukin was dazzling on the uneven bars, her specialty. She scored a 16.650 to Johnson's 15.275.

The competition came down to the floor exercise, where Liukin captivated the fans with her willowy body and seamless moves.

Liukin, who is 5-foot-3 and about 100 pounds, scored a 15.525. Johnson needed to score at least sixth-tenths higher than that to catch her.

She matched Liukin's score.

Nearby, Liukin buried herself in her father's arms. Her jaw dropped open when she realized she had won.

As the national anthem played, she thought of her father. She hoped that the victory erased some of the disappointment he had felt 20 years ago, when he finished second in the Olympic all-around.

"She fixed my mistake," Valeri Liukin said with a laugh. "She's a beautiful gymnast, and I strongly believed her time was coming."

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