PHILADELPHIA – Shawn Johnson and Nastia Liukin are taking their rivalry to the Beijing Olympics, where it will have golden overtones.
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Despite stumbling during her floor exercise, Nastia Liukin's Olympic bid was never in doubt.
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Johnson and Liukin earned guaranteed spots on the U.S. women's gymnastics team last night after finishing 1-2 at the Olympic Trials – the same places they had at the national championships two weeks ago. As confetti rained down on them, tears filled the friends' eyes and they exchanged a heartfelt hug.
“We looked at each other for the longest time,” Liukin said. “Shawn said to me, 'Can you believe it?' She's like, 'We made it.' I don't know. It's so crazy. Everything's gone by so fast. Sitting here being an Olympian, it's just amazing. I don't even have the words. It's a dream come true.”
Now the fun is seeing who will join them.
The remaining four members of the team and three alternates will be named after a July 20 selection camp at the Karolyi ranch in Houston. The training squad for the final selection camp is Chellsie Memmel, Samantha Peszek, Jana Bieger, Chelsea Davis, Ivana Hong, Mattie Larson, Corrie Lothrop, Alicia Sacramone, Bridget Sloan and Shayla Worley.
Memmel continues to make her case, finishing second in the all-around last night and third overall – just as she did at nationals two weeks ago. She even earned a standing ovation from national team coordinator Martha Karolyi after she closed the competition with a high-flying floor routine that had the entire arena rocking.
“Did I want to be named? Yeah, of course,” Memmel said. “I feel that I belong. I finished the last four competitions in the top three, so I hope they think of me as part of the team.”
Johnson and Liukin are the best thing gymnastics has going – in the United States or anywhere in the world. Johnson is the reigning world champion, a bundle of power and personality that has people comparing her to Mary Lou Retton. Liukin puts the art in artistic gymnastics, a lithe blend of beauty and grace who has won seven medals – four of them gold – at the world championships since 2005.
That they would get the two automatic spots was a given.
“It feels amazing to finally have it be reality,” Johnson said. “To know I have a spot, to have earned it, to know it's actually real is 100 times greater.”
Johnson is the Tiger Woods of her sport, undaunted by pressure no matter how big the stage. She didn't have a single miss during the four days of competition at the national championships and Olympic Trials, and she performs with a flair far bigger than her 4-foot-9 frame. She didn't score anything below a 15.35 in the two days of Trials, and posted four scores above 16.
The rest of the field managed a total of eight.
Johnson flipped and twirled on that 4-inch wide slab of wood with such confidence she may as well be in a parking lot. When she did an aerial front somersault, her feet hit the beam with such security it sent out a resounding thud. She got a 16.2 on that event, also the highest of the night.
Even when Johnson has trouble, she manages to wriggle out of it. She stumbled out of the landing of her second tumbling pass on floor, but quickly moved on to the next trick. On her next pass, she came dangerously close to stepping on the white boundary line, but kept her heel raised so she stayed safely inbounds.
Family affair
Morgan Hamm will be joining his brother at the Olympics.
Morgan Hamm was selected for the U.S. men's gymnastics team for the Beijing Games yesterday, along with Kevin Tan, Joseph Hagerty and Justin Spring. Paul Hamm, the reigning Olympic champion and Morgan's twin, and Jonathan Horton were chosen Saturday after the conclusion of the Olympic Trials.
“It was just a huge weight off my shoulders, relief,” said Morgan Hamm, who tore a muscle in his chest eight months ago. “I feel like I've had to overcome a lot of obstacles to get here. It just makes it that much more sweet.”
The news wasn't quite as good for Sasha Artemev, David Durante or Raj Bhavsar, who were named the alternates.
“It was a very difficult decision,” said Ron Brant, the national team coordinator. “We were trying to come up with the team with the highest consistency we could find.”
And win the United States some medals.
Though China is the overwhelming favorite, the Americans are sure to be medal contenders. They were fourth at the world championships last year, three missed routines away from a medal, and the return of the Hamms makes them even stronger. Paul Hamm is recovering from a broken hand, but he is ahead of schedule in his recovery and should be healthy in time for Beijing.
