Training under Chinese coaches, Chow Liang and Zhuang Liwen, has further fuelled Shawn Johnson’s zest for gymnastics and her ambition to raise the bar. The American, as the defending world all-around champion, is now the main threat to a new generation of Chinese gymnasts in Beijing.
A gymnast endowed with boundless energy and power, Shawn makes for a riveting figure. She has been very successful in the run-up to the Olympics. Shawn led US to the team title against China at the 2007 Stuttgart World Championships.
Last year, Shawn won the American Cup on debut at the senior level and also clinched the all-around titles at the Pan American Games and the US National Championships. She then carried on the good work at the Olympic trials in Philadelphia, finishing ahead of rival Nastia Liukin in the all-around competition (second in the vault, fourth on the bars, first on the beam and floor exercises).
Becoming an Olympian is a dream-come-true for the 16-year-old gymnast whose parents took her to Chow’s gym when she was just three years old. Chow, named the US women’s gymnastics coach for Beijing, looks after Shawn’s routines on the vault and the bars, while his wife Liwen coaches the youngster on the beam and also handles the choreography for the floor exercises.
The mutual trust between the teachers and the pupil allows Shawn to explore the full range of her talent in a familiar environment. The girl from Iowa is given the freedom to evolve a powerful style of her own.
Kim Zmeskal and Mary Lou Retton, both former Olympic gymnasts, have publicly expressed their admiration for Shawn’s skill and courage in attempting complex moves. When floodwaters entered the Chow’s Gymnastics & Dance Institute in June, a week before the Olympic trials, Shawn moved to a new training venue, the Iowa University. She overcame the emotional turmoil, adjusted to the new environment and emerged mentally tough from that experience. Beijing should be a breeze after all that, with coach Chow by her side.
Nandakumar Marar
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