Why 2012 Became the Most Difficult Year of Nastia Liukin’s Career
Mar 29, 2008; San Jose, CA, USA; Nastia Liukin (USA) with father/coach Valeri Liukin during the womens gymnastics all around final in the Pacific Rim Championships at the Event Center Arena. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports
Mar 29, 2008; San Jose, CA, USA; Nastia Liukin (USA) with father/coach Valeri Liukin during the womens gymnastics all around final in the Pacific Rim Championships at the Event Center Arena. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports
In a sport like gymnastics, where the best is bound to physicality and age limit, Olympic medalist Nastia Liukin learned the truth the hard way.
After the Olympic fame that came with 5 medals at the 2008 Beijing Games, a 22-year-old Liukin was hopeful to return for the 2012 London Games. But that dream ended as she crashed during her bar routine, on the final day of U.S. Olympic Gymnastics Team Trials.
"(I was) running out a little bit of steam, that was basically it," Liukin told CBS San Francisco in 2012. "I felt like I had a better routine all around besides the very end of it."
Bildnummer: 01826101 Datum: 25.11.2005 Copyright: imago/Schreyer Trainer Valeri Liukin tröstet seine Tochter Nastia Liukin (beide USA); Nationaltrikot, Ljukin, Waleri, Nastja, Anastasia, Vdig, quer, Coach, Vater, Eltern, Elternteil, Familie, Trost, trösten, Umarmung, umarmen, enttäuscht, Fernsehen, TV, Medien, Kamera, Fernsehkamera, steady cam, steadycam, tragbar, tragbare, Mediennähe Weltmeisterschaft 2005, Kunstturnen, Geräteturnen, Mehrkampf Melbourne Enttäuschung, Turnen WM Damen Einzel Gruppenbild pessimistisch Randmotiv Personen
Bildnummer: 01826101 Datum: 25.11.2005 Copyright: imago/Schreyer Trainer Valeri Liukin tröstet seine Tochter Nastia Liukin (beide USA); Nationaltrikot, Ljukin, Waleri, Nastja, Anastasia, Vdig, quer, Coach, Vater, Eltern, Elternteil, Familie, Trost, trösten, Umarmung, umarmen, enttäuscht, Fernsehen, TV, Medien, Kamera, Fernsehkamera, steady cam, steadycam, tragbar, tragbare, Mediennähe Weltmeisterschaft 2005, Kunstturnen, Geräteturnen, Mehrkampf Melbourne Enttäuschung, Turnen WM Damen Einzel Gruppenbild pessimistisch Randmotiv Personen
Midway through her bar routine, she missed the high bar and crashed face-first on the mat. A shoulder injury she'd battled for months cost her the grab. But even when she collected herself from the ground and performed the last set, the truth was knocking on the door.
"I was at the peak of my career four years ago. And if anybody would have ever told me in 2008 that you would have been competing in the 2012 Olympic Trials, I probably wouldn't have believed them," Liukin told CBS further.
One routine ended it all. But instead of a wary exit, Liukin embraced the ending like the true champion she was at heart.
Nastia Liukin finished strong
This fall at the trial was an emotional blow for Liukin, also because one of her 2008 silver medals came from the uneven bars. But while many expected her to quit early, the Olympic medalist had a different mentality altogether.
"I could have just scratched after bars and said, 'I'm finished,” she said during the same interview. "I was taught at a young age by my mom and dad to never give up. And that's what I'm going to do. I'm going to finish what I started.”
10 minutes after that incident, she got on the beam and posted a 14.5. Although it couldn’t have earned her a roster spot, it was enough to solidify Nastia Liukin’s champion status beyond a podium finish that night.
Can you recall a similar incident involving another gymnast? Let us know in the comments.
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Written by
Deblina Roy