Shawn Johnson and Nastia Liukin
Hopes for a US Women’s Gymnastics 1-2 Finish in the All Around
Aug 12, 2008
Shawn Johnson and Nastia Liukin have proven that they are the best gymnasts in the world. The only medals left are the coveted Olympic All Around gold and silver, which these two women could earn if they erase the nerves that plagued them on the floor exercise Wednesday.
Liukin and Johnson Anchor the US Team
In the team finals, both Johnson and Liukin performed strong until the very end. Johnson, the only US team member performing on all four events, landed a very difficult vault with only a small step on the landing. Though she had a small error on the bars and a hop on the landing as well, the rest of the routine was performed without errors. Liukin, on the other hand, came back from a fall on bars in qualifying to score a 16.9 on her very difficult routine. On beam, Liukin had only a small wobble, and Johnson was as impressive as she has ever been.
The trouble for both gymnasts came on floor. Unlike on the beam, where they were able to compensate for Alicia Sacramone’s fall and bring the team within a point of China, on floor Sacramone’s second fall obviously rattled the other two women, both of whom stepped out of bounds. Emotional fortitude will be essential in the all-around, where there are no teammates to compensate for a poor performance on one event.
Difficult Routines and an Advantage Over the World
One thing that the US women have going for them is difficulty. Liukin is one of the best bars workers in the world, and Johnson one of the best vaulters. Both have the ability to perform consistently on all four events, and while China’s team is very strong, Yang Yilin as an individual is less likely to push both US women out for gold. Three Russian gymnasts stood 4-5-6 in qualifying, but again would need errors from the top competitors to win.
The key for both Johnson and Liukin is staying emotionally steady. Both gymnasts will have to regroup from the disappointment of silver in a competition their team badly wanted to win and focus on their own strengths. If they hit their routines solidly, they will place in gold and silver position, but a fall would be very costly. Johnson normally is very graceful under pressure, and has shown an ability to recover from wobbles, but Liukin’s fall on bars in qualifying – her best event – may still be on her mind. She will need to perform very well there to win.
 |
