Like most of the country, I have been glued to the Olympic coverage. In the wee hours of Friday morning, I watched 18–year–old American Nastia Liukin earn the title as the third American woman to win the all around gold medal for the US. Holding my breath and grinding my teeth with every approach she made, I rooted her on. But nobody wanted it more than her dad.
Twenty years ago, her father and coach, Valeri Liukin, won two gold medals for the Soviet Union at the 1988 Olympics. He fell short of winning the overall gold medal in the individual competition by one tenth of a point to a fellow countryman. Interestingly enough, one of the commentators for NBC said that papa is known for saying, "Second is the worst on the world; only one color works for this family." Talk about pressure. After she won the gold, he said:
She fix my mistakes. . . I lose by one-tenth of a point to Vladimir, but she fix that.
Luckily she won the medal for herself, her parents and America. I hope this lil lady doesn't let daddy forget who brought home the gold.
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Ugh. I was rooting for Shawn Johnson. She looks like such a sweetheart who is really enjoying being at the Olympics. Nastia kinda looked like a pissy brat the entire time she was on camera and the dynamic between her and her father is just off-putting.
1i disagree foxie- i thought nastia looked focused and composed, not like a brat. i was rooting for her the whole night- i'm so happy for her...it was great to see her finally smile though when she won
2I thought it was sweet how her and her dad hung out while they waited to see how events would unfold. Nastia and Shawn both did a great job.
3I am so happy for both girls! They both did a wonderful job
(to be honest though, I wanted Shawn to win gold)
4I think almost all of us wanted Shawn to win. Something about Nastia and her father's relationship seems creepy to me, and all I could think about was the pressure Nastia must have to win.
5But, all in all, both girls were fabulous and sure made America proud! =]
VERY creepy. He definitely slapped her ass a few times after routines. That's a weird enough practice, but dad and daughter?? Bizarre.
6I have to agree with tweet hotpants. nastia looked composed and concentrated, not pissy. imagine the kind of pressure those girls were under! both shawn and nastia handled themselves extremely well. I'm so happy that they took the gold AND silver! yay USA!
7I love watching gymnastics!! The synchronized swimming is my favorite though, I can't wait =)
8I thought though Shawn was very powerful, Nastia was the perfect combination of grace and precision. She looked so incredibly elegant in every event.
9I agree with bigestivediscuit --- they were both great! Nastia just seemed a tiny bit more elegant and that tipped the scale.
10I think they were both great. My husband and I were split on Nastia. I think it's just the way you look at it. I played a sport every season so I thought Nastia seemed totally focused and invested in her moment. My husband didn't play sports at all, and he thought she came across pissy and preferred Shawn.
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