Johnson, Liukin gain spots

Johnson is the Tiger Woods of her sport.

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Shawn Johnson and Nastia Liukin are taking their rivalry to the Beijing Olympics, where it will have golden overtones.

Now the fun is seeing who will join them.

Johnson and Liukin earned guaranteed spots on the U.S. women’s gymnastics team Sunday night after finishing 1-2 at the Olympic trials — the same places they had at the national championships two weeks ago.

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.

Comeback kid Chellsie Memmel continues to make her case, finishing third just as she did at nationals. 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.

The training squad for the final selection camp is Memmel, Peszek, Jana Bieger, Chelsea Davis, Ivana Hong, Mattie Larson, Corrie Lothrop, Alicia Sacramone, Bridget Sloan and Shayla Worley.

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.

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.