For years, Nastia Liukin was the face of U.S. gymnastics, an all-around world champion, a two-time national champion, and the favorite for Olympic gold. Then, in 2007, a new name emerged, dominating every major competition in her rookie season. Suddenly, the spotlight shifted. The media had a new star. Liukin had ruled the world stage in 2005 and 2007, winning gold on beam and bars. But by 2008, everything changed. Injuries piled up. Doubt set in. The sport she once owned seemed to move on without her. Now, she’s speaking out. What really happened?
The emergence of 4 time Olympic medalist Shawn Johnson shifted the spotlight. “Up until 2007, it was like I was the favorite, right? Because she wasn’t on the scene yet,” Liukin recalled at Life After with David Vobora Podcast. “That moment was where I started struggling,” she admitted.
“But it was that moment like, wait, everybody that used to love me and say I was the greatest thing, that I walked on water… all of a sudden, everything’s flipped.”
The shift in public perception hit hard. “Literally a month ago, you loved me.” Liukin also dealt with injuries. Just before the 2007 World Championships, doctors told her, “You need surgery… but I know you’re trying to leave in a week for the World Championships.” She competed anyway. “The bone chips… traveled behind my Achilles tendon… I kept re-injuring it because I wasn’t patient.”
The Story is developing!!!
The post ‘I Started Struggling’: Gymnastics Legend Recalls Career Setbacks as 4X Olympic Medalist Rival Rose to Freedom appeared first on EssentiallySports.
