Welcome to the 1st edition of "Where are they now?". This time featuring, 2008 Olympic All Around Champion, Nastia Liukin. This segment will include not only facts about a former gymnast's career, but also their personal life today. Enjoy!
BEIJING, CHINA - 2008 Olympic All Around Championships:
It's the final rotation of the all around final. Nastia. One of the final competitors. It's going to be close and everyone knows it. What it comes down to is who can stick the most passes. Yang Yilin of China performs shortly before Nastia mounts the floor exercise podium. After Nastia, Shawn Johnson, her teammate, rival, best friend, will go. This is what counts. The music starts and the crowd stops. The tension can be felt, the intensity is insane. This is the make it or break it moment. First pass. Handspring, front full, front double full. Beautiful. She follows this with some beautiful leaps. Liukin finishes the rest of her routine efforlessly. After her last pass, the arena can breathe again. The score comes in and it's a big one. 15.525. This makes it nearly impossible for Shawn Johnson to beat her. Nastia Liukin was shortly afterwards crowned 2008 Olympic All Around champion.
Following her moment to shine in Beijing, Liukin tried to make a comeback to the sport that she loves and yet she failed to make a second Olympic team. Thus, she decided to pursue a normal life outside of gymnastics. Successes in media and other sorts include:
- Her own meet, the Nastia Liukin Cup.
- A leotard line and equipment line.
- She was on the hit reality TV show, Dancing with the Stars!
- She has a book, Finding My Shine.
- Nastia now commentates for NBC.
- She is a public speaker.
- Liukin is currently starring in the Kellog's Tour of Gymnastics Champions.
Nastia Liukin so far has had an extremely successful career and I wish her the best of luck in future assignments and jobs (also congrats to Nastia *she is getting married very soon*)! Thanks for reading and stay tuned for more!
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| Photo via Getty Images. :) |
