For Liukin and Johnson, 1-2 Finish Helps Americans Reclaim the Spotlight

....Nastia Liukin of the United States performs on the floor during gymnastics artistic women's individual all-round final of Beijing 2008 Olympic Games at National Indoor Stadium in Beijing, China, Aug. 15, 2008. Liukin claimed the title of the event with a score of 63.325. (Xinhua/Cheng Min)


....Liukin on the uneven parallel bars. She is one of the world's best at the event.
Photo: Franck Fife/Agence France-Presse -- Getty Images



....Nastia Liukin on the balance beam during the women's all-around final in gymnastics. Liukin won the gold, becoming the third American woman to do so.
Photo: Frank May/European Pressphoto Agency


....Shawn Johnson, the reigning world champion in the all-around, was expected to win the gold medal. She had to settle for silver.
Photo: Chang W. Lee/The New York Times


....Johnson performing on the balance beam.
Photo: Amy Sancetta/Associated Press


....Yilin Yang of China took the bronze.
Photo: Chang W. Lee/The New York Times

BEIJING — As the contenders for the Olympic gold medal in the women’s gymnastics individual all-around moved to their final event — the floor exercise — the crowd Friday began competing cheers of “Go China!” and “U-S-A!”

But in the end, China would not win this gold, adding to their pile of three medals in three gymnastics events here.

As expected, the gold would be contested between two Americans: Shawn Johnson, the reigning world champion in the all-around, and Nastia Liukin. Both were spectacular on the floor exercise.

When the event was over, they hugged and waited for the scores.

And on this day, when the Americans would finally steal the spotlight from the Chinese, Liukin — not Johnson, as expected — emerged as the champion and new face of gymnastics in the United States.

Liukin, 18, from Parker, Tex., won with 63.325 points. Johnson, 16, from West Des Moines, Iowa, won silver, with 62.725. Yang Yilin of China was third, with 62.650.

With the victory, Liukin became the third American woman to win the Olympic all-around event. Mary Lou Retton won in 1984. Carly Patterson, who also trained at Liukin’s gym in Texas, won in 2004.

“I knew if I went out there today and hit my routines, I would have a good chance,” Liukin said afterward. “I just went out there and gave it all I had.”

Liukin was nearly perfect on the floor exercise, rousing the crowd with her tumbling passes and the flexibility of a prima ballerina. In her hot-pink leotard with rhinestones glittering under the lights, she was simply graceful.

Afterward, she slapped Johnson’s hand while Johnson was waiting to step onto the floor. Johnson, the little ball of power and the reigning world champion on the floor exercise, was next. By then, Johnson said, she knew she could not win.

She needed a 16.125 to overtake Liukin, but only matched Liukin’s score on the floor, 15.525. It was not enough.

“I gave my heart and soul to the competition today, but Nastia, she deserves that gold today,” Johnson said, her eyes glassy with tears. “I think everything happens for a reason, and I was destined to get the silver. I got what I deserved.”

Going into the Olympics, Liukin had been labeled as one of Johnson’s only rivals. She had been the only woman who had beaten Johnson since Johnson began competing on the senior level last year.

And when the pressure was on and the world was watching Friday, she repeated that feat.

Johnson had been nearly flawless for the past few months, making hardly any mistakes at the United States nationals, Olympic trials, then at these Olympics.

In the finals here, she had not made any big mistakes, either. But her competition was, simply, better.

“I think both of the girls are the top athletes in the world at the moment,” said Johnson’s coach, Liang Qiao. “I can only control what I can control, and I think Shawn did a great job. I told her I’m so proud of her.”

The top contenders were up first on the vault. Liukin performed a Yurchenko with one and a half twists, sticking her landing. She scored 15.025. Johnson was up next, performing a Yurchenko with two and a half twists, markedly harder than Liukin’s vault. Her score was 15.875.

The two Chinese performers — Yang Yilin and Jiang Yuyuan — also started on the vault. Yang scored 15.175. Jiang was given a 14.825 after she landed short, squarely on her backside.

After the first rotation, Steliana Nistor of Romania was in first, and Johnson in second.

Anna Pavlova of Russia was third. And way back in ninth was Liukin, but that was expected. The vault is her weakest event.

The second rotation was where she would sparkle: the uneven bars. Liukin is one of the best uneven bars performers in the world. As if gravity was not an issue, she spun and twisted and flew through the air, looking effortless. She scored a 16.650, more than a point more than Johnson.

Conversely, the uneven bars are Johnson’s weakest event. Her score was 15.275.

Yang, listed as 15 and China’s youngest gymnast, edged Liukin in the uneven bars, with a routine just as difficult. When her score of 16.725 appeared, the crowd roared.

That performance put Yang in first, with 31.90, ahead of Liukin, who was 0.25 back. Nistor was in third. Johnson was in fifth, four-tenths out of first.

The final two events would determine whether Liukin and Johnson would battle for the gold.

Liukin had gone into first place over all after the balance beam, scoring the highest on that event, 16.125.

She finished that event with 47.800 points, with Yang just 0.15 behind. Johnson was in third, six-tenths behind.

The gold medal would be decided on the floor exercise, where America’s top two gymnasts would compete. Their gymnastics couldn’t be more different.

“Nastia has those long lines and grace, while Shawn is that little fireball constantly moving,” Bela Karolyi, the former coach of the gymnastics legends Nadia Comaneci and Mary Lou Retton, said. “They are so opposite, but their outcome and scores are just about the same.”

In the stands, a group of former gymnastics stars watched the competition. Comaneci, who won the Olympic all-around gold in 1976, predicted a victory for either Johnson or Liukin. She also commented about the Chinese gymnasts’ ages.

The ages of both Yang and Jiang have been questioned going into this Olympics. Gymnasts must turn 16 this year to qualify for the Olympics. Jiang may be as young as 14, according to a report by The New York Times that found her birth date listed on Chinese sports registration lists. One list included national identification card numbers into which birth dates are embedded.

Yang’s age is 14, according to registration lists previously posted on China’s General Administration of Sport Web site, according to a report by The Associated Press.

“It’s easier to do it when you’re young,” said Comaneci, who was 14 when she won Olympic gold at the 1976 Montreal Games.

“But how can they know so many difficult things in such a short period of time?” she said of the Chinese.

Peter Vidmar, an Olympic gold medalist for the United States, said the Chinese would not be the ones vying for gold in the all-around Friday.

He expected Liukin to win because she had looked so smooth in training. Liukin had been just 0.35 points back from Johnson in qualifying, he said, which meant she would have been in first place if she had not fallen on her uneven bars dismount.

“You could look at her and see that she was ready,” he said. “It was her time.”