Nastia Liukin London 2012 Olympics
Team USA’s 2012 Olympics women’s gymnastics squad is superior to Nastia Liukin’s crew in every way.
Back in 2008, Liukin, Shawn Johnson and company racked up the medals for the U.S. They won silver as a team. And Liukin won four individual medals including all-around gold. While her success in Beijing was impressive, Gabby Douglas will leave London with a more-impressive resume.
On Tuesday – the Americans won gold in the all-around team competition for the first time since 1996. Mark Emmert of DemoinesRegister.com reported that coach John Geddert raved about the girls and made a bold claim after their victory, saying – This is the best team of all time. You can quote me on that. Others might disagree. The ’96 team might disagree with me. But difficulty-wise, consistency-wise, definitely USA’s finest.
After Team USA trounced Russia by over five points in the finals, it’s difficult to argue with him. While the whole crew— including Jordyn Wieber, Aly Raisman, McKayla Maroney and Kyla Ross—contributed to the triumph, it was Douglas who led the way. She was the only team member to participate in all four events and was phenomenal in every single one of them.
Nastia Liukin.
Nastia Liukin may not be competing in the 2012 Olympics, but she’s still a winner nevertheless.
The former U.S. gymnast has just signed on to become TIGI’s newest spokesperson.
The multiyear deal with the hair product company will include campaign advertising, social media pushes, promotions and appearances and will also include a cobranded line ostensibly in the former Team USA superstar’s name – though details on that have yet to be formally announced.
The beauty and haircare purveyors noted in their announcement that the 22-year-old Liukin’s “undeniable beauty, style and passion for life make her a perfect personality for our brands.”
Can’t argue with that. At the 2008 Beijing games, Liukin earned herself five medals, and while she failed to qualify for this year’s summer games last month, she’s nonetheless been a fixture in London, cheering on her fellow gymnasts to their gold medal team win.
The women’s gymnastics team finals air on July 31 11:30 am Eastern time and you can watch live coverage of the game and the handing out of the Olympic medals on NBC’s official website for the 2012 Olympic Games.
Forty athletes will compete in eight teams hailing from Canada, Japan, Italy, Great Britain, USA, China, Russia and Romania. They will compete on the vault, uneven bars, beam and floor.
The U.S. women’s team (nicknamed the “Fab Five”) are leading the catagory and could become the second American women’s team in history to win Olympic gold.
Team USA, includes 16-year-old Gabby Douglas, nicknamed “The Flying Squirrel” because of her soaring capabilities on the uneven bar. Douglas won a gold medal at the 2011 World Championships with her team in Tokyo and came in first for the uneven beam at the 2012 Visa Championships and the Secret U.S. Classic, according to the official website of the USA Gymnastics.
The Soviet Union has 200 Olympic gymnastics medals in total, 81 of them being gold, with USA in second with 94 Olympic medals.
The July 31 game marks the last gymnastics competition in the 2012 Olympics. The Games began with the official opening ceremony in London on July 27 and will go until August 12.