Shawn Johnson Wins Gold Medal
Shawn Johnson has had no problems this week when it comes to her age or the judges. She is putting on a happy face for the world - but inside she is frustrated at her bad fortune of not winning a gold medal. However, Tuesday was a new day for her because it was her last chance to win the medal.
She performed an almost flawless routine on the balance beam and beat out China’s Cheng Fei and her teammate Nastia Liukin to win the gold medal. At the end she unleashed a smile as big as Beijing itself, a glorious conclusion to a competition that never got her down and only taught her more about herself as she came to appreciate the journey as much as the destination.
“I kept saying, ‘finally’ a lot,” Johnson laughed. “I made it. I finally won a gold medal.I can’t stop smiling. I’m so excited.” The 4-foot-9 powerhouse from Iowa had won over the fans here with her strong performance and profound grace. You can’t call an Olympics a disappointment when you win three silvers. Johnson came here for gold, however. She was the favorite, the best in the world. And she kept losing by the slimmest and most frustrating of ways.
There was an age controversy and a teammate’s foibles that overshadowed the team competition. She lost to Liukin, who she routinely defeated in the States, in the all-around. She had the floor gold wrapped up only to lose on the very last performance.
Throughout, the belief was that Johnson wasn’t receiving her customary high marks because the Olympic judges preferred taller, lankier, more graceful gymnasts to her stocky power. It is the unfair twist of gymnastics. It isn’t just how many flips you can do, it’s how you look doing them. Johnson couldn’t get taller or leaner, she could only get tougher.
“The first time it did hurt a little,” she said. “But I go by, everything happens for a reason and for some reason the judges were giving me scores I’m not used to. But they had a reason. “It did upset me a little, but I thought about it and I decided, I was at the Olympic Games, I was having the time of my life and I’m winning medals.”