Shawn Johnson
Shawn Johnson
Shawn Machel Johnsonis an American retired artistic gymnast. She is the 2008 Olympic balance beam gold medalist and team, all-around and floor exercise silver medalist. Johnson is also a five-time Pan American Games gold medalist, winning the team titles in 2007 and 2011, as well as titles in the all-around, uneven bars, and balance beam in 2007...
NationalityAmerican
ProfessionAthlete
Date of Birth19 January 1992
CountryUnited States of America
retirement giving-up gymnastics
Retiring was scary and it was tough to give up gymnastics, but so many great opportunities have come from it that I never expected.
normal calm quiet
My other life keeps me calm and grounded and normal.
gymnastics two training
I'm doing four hours of gymnastics training a day, six days a week and then an extra two to three hours in a fitness center as well.
mind doubt tears
I had a constant fear, a constant little doubt in my mind: 'OK, I'm getting ready to do my standing back full on beam and I might re-tear my ACL.'
gymnastics impossible comeback
A comeback in gymnastics is almost impossible in itself.
teammate whole-life competing
I've never had a teammate competing with me my whole life.
training olympics skiing
My coach, Liang Chow, had one rule while I was training for the 2008 Olympics: no skiing. I could do anything I wanted outside the gym, he said, except ski.
healthy rolling ankles
I have a healthy lifestyle, but there's nothing you can really do to prevent from rolling an ankle or something like that.
gymnastics beijing difficulty
My approach to gymnastics in Beijing was heavily based on the amount of difficulty I could do.
girl training trials
It's been strange and weird watching the other girls at the U.S. Olympic trials just because I was training to be out there myself.
mom giving-up gymnastics
Something my mom taught me when I was little is that everything happens for a reason. Retiring was scary and it was tough to give up gymnastics, but so many great opportunities have come from it that I never expected. And those wouldn't have happened had I not accepted my injury as a way to try something new.
years class
I started taking gymnastic classes when I was 3 years old.
sticks force what-you-love
Don't force anything. Find what you love and stick with it.
heart mean gymnastics
Image isn't everything, It's what comes from your heart, and what you learn and what you say and how you act that means more than anything.