U.S. gymnast Johnson adds gold to her bling collection
BEIJING (AP) — Clear some more space in that pile of pretty Olympic medal boxes. Shawn Johnson and Nastia Liukin are bringing home more loot, including a gorgeous gold of Johnson’s very own.
Johnson beat her friend and teammate on the balance beam, the last women’s gymnastics event at the Beijing Games
“I finished off the Olympic Games with, to me, the most perfect ending ever,” Johnson said, beaming as she tugged at the ribbon around her neck. “To finally get the gold medal ... on my very last routine meant the world to me.”
And it means the Americans will be strutting home with more bling than Diddy.
Johnson already had three silvers, including one from the all-around, where Liukin won gold. Together, the women have won eight medals. Throw in Jonathan Horton’s silver on the high bar Tuesday night, and the Americans are leaving Beijing with 10 medals. That’s the most they’ve won at a non-boycotted Olympics since 1932, when rope climbing and Indian clubs still got you medals.
“It just shows how strong we are,” said Liukin, who won five medals. “We went out there and showed we are the best. Going 1-2 in the all-around, that’s never been done by the United States. The Americans have never had 1-2 on beam before, either. And 2-3 on floor isn’t too bad.
“It’s definitely been a very successful Olympics for us.”
Johnson arrived in Beijing as gymnastics’ latest “it” girl, the reigning world champion who had lost only one event in the past two years. It wasn’t a question of if she’d win gold, but how many. Team? All-around? Balance beam? Floor?
But the Americans were beaten by the Chinese in the team final, and Johnson finished second to Liukin, her close friend and roommate in the Olympic village.