Shawn Johnson won gold in Beijing
It's been 16 years since Shawn Johnson, then just a 4-foot-11, 16-year-old, won the hearts of Americans by winning gold at the 2008 Beijing Olympics.
Johnson was the gold medalist on the balance beam and earned three silvers in the floor, all-around (losing to teammate Nastia Liukin) and team events (Liukin also won silver in the balance beam).
It was the only Olympic Games Johnson would compete in. She tore her ACL skiing in 2010 and retired from the sport amid a comeback for the 2012 games. However, she lived out the moment she "dreamt of my whole life."
"Being able to wear the red, white and blue, seeing the flag be lowered, hearing the anthem, put your hand over your chest. It was this moment I had dreamt of my whole life. And being able to do that not just for myself, but for my coaches and my team and our country, it was a really special moment. It felt very special."
....
>>> "Me, as a mother to a daughter, I’m so excited. I don’t know what it means in particular. I just love that women’s sports are getting the attention they deserve," Johnson said.
"I think every athlete, male or female, that works their entire life to get to the Olympic Games deserves a platform and the attention that they worked for. I think being able to go into these Olympic Games with that shared excitement across all platforms, both genders, I think is really, really cool."
www.foxnews.com
Both. Not ALL 57... Both. Two. Dos. Deux. Zwei...
It's been 16 years since Shawn Johnson, then just a 4-foot-11, 16-year-old, won the hearts of Americans by winning gold at the 2008 Beijing Olympics.
Johnson was the gold medalist on the balance beam and earned three silvers in the floor, all-around (losing to teammate Nastia Liukin) and team events (Liukin also won silver in the balance beam).
It was the only Olympic Games Johnson would compete in. She tore her ACL skiing in 2010 and retired from the sport amid a comeback for the 2012 games. However, she lived out the moment she "dreamt of my whole life."
"Being able to wear the red, white and blue, seeing the flag be lowered, hearing the anthem, put your hand over your chest. It was this moment I had dreamt of my whole life. And being able to do that not just for myself, but for my coaches and my team and our country, it was a really special moment. It felt very special."
....
>>> "Me, as a mother to a daughter, I’m so excited. I don’t know what it means in particular. I just love that women’s sports are getting the attention they deserve," Johnson said.
"I think every athlete, male or female, that works their entire life to get to the Olympic Games deserves a platform and the attention that they worked for. I think being able to go into these Olympic Games with that shared excitement across all platforms, both genders, I think is really, really cool."
Gold medal gymnast Shawn Johnson discusses 'incredible' feeling of representing USA in Olympics
Shawn Johnson earned the rare opportunity of hearing the national anthem while wearing a gold medal at the Olympics 16 years ago this summer.
Both. Not ALL 57... Both. Two. Dos. Deux. Zwei...