A Big Day for Gymnastics

On March 1, top gymnasts from the United States and around the world competed in the 2008 Tyson American Cup at Madison Square Garden in New York City. Paul Hamm from Wisconsin and Nastia Liukin from Texas won the all-around titles. This is Liukin's second American Cup win.
Comeback Kids
Hamm, 25, became the first American male to win the all-around gold medal at the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens, Greece. He retired shortly after. This was his first international competition since his return to gymnastics, and he appears to be stronger than ever.
He scored top marks on the floor exercise, parallel bars and high bar and won the championship with an overall score of 94.400. "It feels good to be back," said Hamm. "I stuck to my game plan, which was to hit clean routines."

Liukin, 18, recently returned from an ankle injury. But that didn't stop her from taking first place and holding onto it after the second event in the women's competition. She turned in rock solid performances to defeat the reigning world champion, 16-year-old Shawn Johnson. Liukin finished with 63.425, while Johnson scored 63.100. "I want to thank my dad, who is my coach, for preparing me," Liukin told TFK.

Ready for Beijing?

With her big smile and bubbly personality, the 4-foot-9 Johnson from West Des Moines, Iowa, is down but not out. She started taking gymnastics at the age of 3. In 2007, at age 15, she won competition after competition, including the World Championships where she won the all-around gold medal for women, the U.S. Championships and the World Cup. In the beginning of this year's competition, Johnson seemed focused and confident. When it was her turn to compete, the crowd cheered enthusiastically. But she wasn't able to repeat last year's American Cup victory. She did, however, earn top marks in the floor exercise and on the vault and balance beam. It was a difficult vault, rarely attempted in competition, that lost her points and the championship. The vault, called a Yurchenko with two-and-a-half twists, starts with a round off onto the takeoff board, then a handspring over the vault. It ends with 2 1/2 twisting somersaults before landing. Although Johnson regularly makes the landing in practice, she stumbled and fell in competition.
I had the chance to talk with Johnson after the competition. Although she came in second place, she said that she would use this opportunity to learn from her weaknesses. I asked her if she was ready for the Summer Olympics, in Beijing, China, and she said, "I don't think I am. I think I need to work harder."
The American Cup Competition gives us a sneak peak at the top talent, but the biggest attraction is yet to come. The Olympics are still six months away. Which gymnasts will reign supreme in Beijing? Only time will tell.
Taken from : Time For Kids/News/A Big Day For Gymnastics/

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