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Americans took home the top medals in the gymnastics marquee individual event. Nastia Liukin won the gold and Shawn Johnson the silver. But that wasn't the result people had expected.
It's the first time American women have finished first and second in the individual event, and today Nastia Liukin talked to KSL.
Nastia Liukin and Shawn Johnson are both teenagers, friends and roommates in the Olympics Village. And it was Johnson who was favored to win the gold, not Liukin.
The medal boiled down to the floor exercise, where Johnson typically has the advantage because of her power tumbling. But she came up just short. When the total score revealed Luikin was the winner, she stepped on the mat and waved to the crowd. Johnson was among the first to congratulate her with a hug.
Liukin said, "We kinda promised each other we would be happy no matter what. Of course, I'm sure she would have loved to win, but it can only be one person, and tonight was my night. And I got the gold medal, so my dreams have definitely come true.
Luikin's father won two gold and two silver medals for the Soviet Union in the 1988 Olympics, and she could catch up to him. She still has events she's competing in.
E-mail: abutterfield@ksl.com
