Liukin is beaming
All-around champion happy to make mark
BEIJING - During the spring, Nastia Liukin put together a picture board in her bedroom to get inspired for the Olympics. One day, her mother, Anna, added a trinket to it - one of her husband's gold medals from the 1988 Games. "I saw it every single day when I woke up," said Liukin. "Just knowing it was there in my room, knowing that hopefully in a few months I could have one of my own . . ."
Yesterday morning, the daughter did what her father didn't - win a gold all for herself - as Liukin held off United States teammate and Olympic Village roommate Shawn Johnson by six-10ths of a point (63.325-62.725) in the women's all-around to give the resurgent Americans a sweep of the top two places for the first time, with China's Yang Yilin in third.
"It's definitely a dream come true for both of us," said the 18-year-old Liukin, who was born in Moscow and whose father/coach, Valeri, won team gold with the Soviet Union in Seoul and shared the high bar title with countryman Vladimir Artemov. "It's amazing, knowing how close he was to winning the all-around, losing by a 10th. I was thinking on the podium that I made up for that."
It was the best day ever for the Americans, who'd won gold with Carly Patterson in 2004 but never had put two women on the podium. And it made up for their disappointment in Wednesday's team final, where they fell apart on the floor exercise and conceded the gold medal to the Chinese.
"It does show that we have more to give," said Johnson, who'll have gold medal chances on balance beam and floor exercise as Liukin will in everything but vault. "We just came back and showed the world that we are the strong USA team that we said we were."
For Liukin, who'd spent the past year in the shadow of the 16-year-old Johnson after her friendly rival had won the world title, it was an especially rewarding triumph. "This makes it a little sweeter," said Liukin, who finished fifth last year after a season spent rehabbing from ankle surgery. "I've been through some pretty big injuries and some doubters, but it made me that much stronger."
Liukin and Johnson had been going head to head all year, at the American Cup in New York, at the US championships in Boston, and at the Olympic trials in Philadelphia. This time, though, it was for the world's biggest prize. "Before going to sleep last night, we looked at the calendar we've been keeping and we looked at each other," said Liukin. "And we said, can you believe this? Tomorrow's the day."
Rarely, if ever, had two archrivals been roommates at Olympus and never had two American girls gone after the all-around gold medal with an equal chance of winning it. "We had our game face on," said Johnson, "but we both were wearing USA."
They were in the same rotation, along with the Chinese and Russians, and they went up one after the other on all but one event. "Me and her have this special thing we do," said Liukin. "We look at each other and give each other a little head nod that means more than words."
Johnson, whose Yurchenko with 2 1/2 twists is one of the toughest vaults in the world, went up by nearly a point after the opening rotation. But Liukin, who is fantastic on bars, earned a lofty 16.650 there to lead Johnson by more than half a point midway through the competition.
When they went to the beam, where Johnson's sturdy build and low center of gravity favor her, the leggy Liukin knew she had to be flawless. "I had to go all out and not hold anything back," she said, and she did so, sticking a perfect landing.
Once Liukin had prevailed on beam by three-quarters of a point to take a 47.800-47.200 lead over her roomie, then scored 15.525 on floor, Johnson knew she'd need a huge routine to win. "It's the Olympics," she said, "and getting a score six-10ths higher than hers was probably a dream."
Johnson, the world champion on the apparatus, submitted a sturdy, but not spectacular, program, matching Liukin's effort to the thousandth. Even before the score went up, Johnson sensed that it wouldn't be enough, but she still was satisfied. "I gave my heart and soul out there today," said Johnson, who wept with relief when she came off the floor. "I couldn't be any happier with myself. I'd give anything to feel that way again."
Once the results went up, both girls hugged and Liukin dissolved into tears, too. Twenty years later and a short plane ride away, a Liukin finally stood atop Olympus alone. "I'm still chasing him for the medal count," she conceded. "He has two golds and two silvers."
John Powers can be reached at jpowers@globe.com. 