World Champs Johnson, Liukin, Memmel go 1-2-3 in Boston

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There was nothing surprising about the battle in Boston between Shawn Johnson (Chow's) and Nastia Liukin (WOGA) for the title of U.S. Champ. But that didn’t make it any less exciting to watch Johnson and Liukin put together near flawless performances as they went one-two at the U.S. National Championships in Boston this evening.

The two superstars competed in the same rotation, following one another throughout the meet, and each had brilliant days.

On vault, Johnson easily landed her Yurchenko 2-1/2 (one large, but controlled, step forward) despite being way off to the side on her block.

“Sometimes I just do it that way,” Johnson said, shrugging off the scariness. “You have to be ready, to hit under any situation.”

Liukin wasn’t quite as clean on her Yurchenko 1-1/2 as on night one, but both gymnasts scored the same as they had in prelims (16.0 and 14.9, respectively).

Moving on to bars, Johnson stuck her double layout half-in, half-out, despite it being a bit slung out, for a 15.55, one-and-a-half tenths better than in prelims.

Liukin nailed her in-bar Stalder, Endo, Ono, Healy, Ono, Gienger sequence even better than in prelims (perfect form, tight body and dead on handstands), but took a big hop on her double front-half dismount. Despite the stumble, Nastia bettered her record-setting prelim bar score, earning another record-high with a 17.1.

“The whole routine, everything but the dismount of course, was much better,” coach-father Valeri commented. “We can fix that. I am not worried at all.”

In the third rotation, both Johnson and Liukin turned in bravura beam sets and earned near identical scores (16.3 to 16.35). Johnson’s higher difficulty routine (6.9) includes an unusual split leap immediate layout, layout sequence, but Liukin had the more precise performance, as shown by her 9.65 execution score—the highest “B” total of the meet. And, after a successful scoring protest (her “A” score was raised from 6.6 to 6.7), Liukin netted a 16.35—the night’s highest beam total.

On floor, Liukin matched her 9.65 beam “B” mark and upped her Start Value to 6.2 (one tenth higher than in prelims). All in all, Liukin earned nothing lower than a 9.4 “B” total all night.

Johnson was picture perfect on floor ex, sticking her double-double mount, despite a music miscue, and earning a night-high 16.2.

Though the results produced little drama—Johnson and Liukin were one-two throughout the night—the final standings saw them separated by one point, exactly. That margin would have been razor thin without Liukin’s night one floor fall.

“I don’t think I’ve ever been so happy to be second in my life,” a grinning Liukin told the media after the meet. “I’m really pleased with where I am now, but I can get better. There are lots of little things I can clean up, improve on.”

“Of course everyone wants to win the title,” Johnson echoed, “but this was just a first step. Now, I’ll go home, go back in the gym, and work on making things even better before Trials.”

While the top two in Boston surprised no one, number three came as a bit of a shock.

2005 World Champ Chellsie Memmel (M&M) showed she was back, in a big way, with her third place finish here.

And though she was more than four points behind Johnson, Memmel still has plenty of ground to gain. “Two tenths on bars, four or five tenths on floor,” coach-father Andrew said of what Memmel hopes to raise her Start Values to by the final Selection Camp in July. “We’re not there yet. We’re still peaking. We’ve got a long way to go.”

Memmel started that climb tonight; upgrading her Start Value on all but beam from day one, including a 7.0 bars Start and an extra half twist on vault that netted her a half point.

“I think you can safely say she’s back,” Andrew smiled. “And I think everyone knows that.”

Though the Memmels have now put themselves on everyone’s list as Olympic favorites, Andrew hints that they have bigger goals than just making the team. “We’re still the World Champ, she’s still got that [ambition,]” Andrew said. “Of course, we’re thinking about the all-around. She’s got the ability to be right up there, to be even better [than the current top two].”

In the event standings, Liukin dominated bars with a 34.150 two-day total (almost two points ahead of second-place Memmel) and beam (32.45), while Johnson claimed floor (32.25).

On vault, only two athletes—Alicia Sacramone (Brestyan’s) and Britney Ranzy (Excalibur)—competed two different vaults, a requirement for the event win, leaving them one-two, respectively, in the standings. (Sacramone had a 30.7 two-day score, while Ranzy was at 29.4.)

Liukin was voted “Sportsperson of the Year” by her teammates, while Johnson garnered “Athlete of the Year” honors and her coach, Liang Chow, was singled out as “Coach of the Year.”

The top 12 gymnasts here—Johnson, Liukin, Memmel, Samantha Peszek (DeVeaus), Ivana Hong (GAGE), Jana Bieger (Bieger’s), Mattie Larson (All Olympia), Corrie Lothrop (Hill’s), Randy Stageberg (Excalibur), Mackenzie Caquatto (Aerials), Olivia Courtney (Orlando Metro) and Aliana Johnson (Texas East)—earned U.S. National Team berths and automatically advanced to the U.S. Olympic Trials in Philadelphia, June 19-22.

Joining the above in Philly, by invitation of the Olympic Selection Committee (National Team Coordinator Martha Karolyi, International Elite Committee chair Steve Rybacki and Athlete Representative Kristie Phillips), will be Sacramone, Ranzy, Amber Trani (Parkettes), Darling Hill (Will Moor), Bridget Sloan (Sharp’s), Shayla Worley (Orlando Metro) and Chelsea Davis (Texas Dreams). Sacramone was also added to the National Team.

In the end, of the 21 women who competed in Boston, 17 move on to Trials, along with injury petitions Davis and Worley.

“We want to give them another chance” Karolyi said of the invitations. “We want to leave this door open until the last moment, closer to when we make the selection.”

That sentiment makes it seem likely that a large percentage of the 19 gymnasts at Trials will move on to the July 16-20 Selection Camp in Texas, leaving the Olympic window open as long as possible.

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Photo by Scott Einuis