achievement—and shift of the media spotlight to
her younger teammate. “She did a great job, and
she deserves all the attention in the world,” said
Liukin of Johnson. “She’s the world champion,
and obviously there’s going to be a lot of focus
on her. But she deserves it 100 percent and I’m
really happy for her.”
China’s Yang Yilin and Xiao Sha improved
from prelims to take sixth and seventh place,
respectively. The 15-year-old Yang, who qualified eighth, was second after the first rotation
(bars). Her routine featured a 11⁄
2 pirouette,
Tkatchev; Ono, piked Jaeger; Pak salto; Jaeger;
and double layout dismount. The second half of
Yang’s all-around final was less ambitious (
incomplete triple twist on floor; 11⁄2-twisting Yurchenko
vault), but she held on to sixth place.
Eleventh in prelims, 15-year-old Xiao also
made her best moves in the first half of the com- to ninth in the final. She avoided major mistakes,
petition. On bars in the first rotation, she per- but a generally shaky beam routine and an off-formed a Higgins, full pirouette, piked Jaeger; balance tumbling pass ( 11⁄
2 twist, rudi) on floor
Pak salto; full pirouette, Jaeger; and full-twisting prevented her from securing a higher rank.
double layout dismount. Some of Xiao’s beam Hard luck kept potential medal contenders
elements landed insecurely, but her diversity and Daria Joura (Australia) and Beth Tweddle (Great
execution were impressive: two flip-flops, whip; Britain) out of the running. Joura missed a
aerial (pause), flip-flop, layou t; front salto; split Comaneci salto on bars in the first rotation, and
jump, sheep jump; switch Tweddle fell on a piked
ring leap; roundoff, double
pike dismount. In a nicely “[Shawn] did a front salto on beam in the
third rotation. Each gym-choreographed floor rou- great job, and nast came back confident-tine, Xiao mounted with a
high piked full-in, but land- she deserves all ly on her final event,
though. Joura vaulted a
ed low on her second pass, the attention in high double-twisting
a 11⁄
2 twist, punch front-full. Yurchenko, and Tweddle
Russia’s Yulia the world,” tumbled an adventurous
Lozhechko showed an
interesting variety of tricks Liukin said. back-to-back pair of pass-
es on floor: 11⁄
2 twist
to place eighth, a four-posi- through to Arabian double
tion improvement from front (almost out of
prelims. Highlights of her bounds), and piked
routines were: mount sequence of inside Stalder, Arabian double front.
Pak, Maloney on bars; standing Arabian and With the Beijing Games less than a year away,
Arabian double front dismount on beam; and Olympic all-around candidates established or re-front-full, roundoff, Arabian double front on established themselves in Stuttgart, none more
floor. assertively than Johnson. Even she saw room for
Defending bronze medalist Sandra Izbasa development, however. “It’s about controlling
(Romania) dipped from seventh place in prelims the nerves,” Johnson said after the all-around
final. “During team finals I definitely let some
nerves get to me. So from this experience I will
take away just learning to calm down more.”
Once Johnson combines her physical prowess
with complete composure, the rest of the world’s
best may continue to chase her to the top of the
podium in Beijing. IG
LEFT: 2006 all-around bronze medalist
Sandra Izbasa (Romania) struggled in
Stuttgart and finished ninth.
BELOW:Fifth in 2006, Australia’s Daria
Joura dropped to 10th.
