Shawn Johnson Wins Gold For Balance Beam (Photos)
Posted on August 19, 2008
Shawn Johnson wins a gold medal on the balance beam at the Olympics! This was Shawn Johnson’s final shot at this years Olympics, and you could see the serious determination on her face. Read more below.
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Shawn Johnson was very serious as she did her balance beam routine. After finishing second, three different times at the Olympics, she was ready for gold!
Johnson stuck to the balance beam perfectly, and knew she had done her best. Afterward, she hugged her competitors from China, then waited for the final two gymnasts to perform.
But neither of them could beat Johnson’s score of 16.225.
Shawn Johnson went in for a big hug with her coach, Liang Qiao. Johnson had wanted so badly to win him a gold medal in China, his home country, and finally on the very last day of the gymnastics competition, she had done it!
“I could tell by the way that he hugged me and the look on his face that he was more proud of me than he’s ever been,” she said. “I really feel like I made him proud.”
Johnson, a gymnast from West Des Moines, Iowa, had previously won three silver medals from this Olympics before competing Tuesday, the last day of gymnastics competition.
Her goal Tuesday was to climb that last step and win the gold. Johnson stated, “You don’t train for silver.”
Shawn Johnson finally got her Olympic gold medal in the last event of the women’s competition Tuesday night, the balance beam.
Johnson nailed her routine that is chock-full of difficult tricks, earning a 16.225.
The world champion, who already had a silver behind fellow American Nastia Liukin in the all-around, and a silver on floor and in the team event, edged Liukin, who finished with a gold, three silvers and a bronze.
Cheng Fei of China took the bronze, giving China six women’s medals, two behind the U.S.
Congrats to Shawn Johnson on her gold medal!
Images: NBC
Source: news
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