8. Gymnastics All-Around Women Finals

Cameras were all on the 1st team of course, the highest qualifying team with the biggest stars: JOHNSON (USA), JIANG (CHN), PAVLOVA (RUS), SEMENOVA (RUS), YANG (CHN), LIUKIN (USA). Cameras pulled away from the 1st group to focuse solely on this young lady too: NISTOR (ROU). All of them were confirmed the top 7, its just how the ranking will look like. This is an event that is going to be won and lost by point-1 deductions. Which means adjustments and wobbles or stepping out of the line during floor routines. Then its kind of like, luck, don’t you think?

The very cute JOHNSON was there (yippee). She was as tight as ever, as amazing as always; delivering and performing under pressure. It was only till today that I realized what a stylish gymnast she is. Other gymnasts in the finals took time to prepare for big flips or jumps or dismounts. Not Johnson. Her routines flowed like water. However, owing to her age and experience and environment as well, today is just not Johnson’s day.

Anastasia Liukin – the gymnast royalty is Johnson’s teammate as well as her greatest competitor. Her father won 2 gold and 2 silver medals for the Soviet Union in the 1988 Seoul Olympics. Her mother is a former world champion in rhythmic gymnastics. Born in Moscow, Liukin moved to the US at the age of two. Liukin is the most graceful gymnast I've seen in this Olympics. Liukin lost to Johnson all year round; the 15 year-old Johnson dominated the gymnastics championships for the past 2 years.

But today was Liukin’s day.

Liukin finally smiled at the end of her floor routine (the last apparatus); she knew she’d gotten gold. There, at the podium, tears filled her eyes. Johnson, too, cried. Perhaps she was happy, but it looks more like grief to me. Liukin had beaten Johnson in every apparatus, and emerged top, finally.

I hope Johnson gets it in the next Olympics. She’ll only be 20 by then, unlike Liukin, who would be 22 – old age for where gymnastics were concerned. Go! Johnson! You’ll still dominate the world championships. And you’ll still have 1 Olympics. :]

It’s the 1st time both the gold and the silver were going to the Americans. They’ve created history. Bronze went to Yang Yilin from China.

Gold: LIUKIN (USA)
Silver: JOHNSON (USA)
Bronze: YANG (CHN)