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World Champion Johnson Has Olympic Gold in Sights - USATODA

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World Champion Johnson Has Olympic Gold in Sights - USATODA World champion Johnson has Olympic gold in sights - USATODA... http://usatoday.printthis.clickability.com/pt/cpt?action=cpt&title=Wo... Powered by SAVE THIS | EMAIL THIS | Close World champion Johnson has Olympic Advertisement gold in sights By Matt Brown, STATS Editor If you're looking for the American athlete most likely to make history in Beijing, you just might find her sitting in history class. At the tender age of 15 - that's right, she's just a high school sophomore - gymnast Shawn Johnson has already established herself as a world champion and become arguably the most dominant force in her sport. An Olympic gold in Beijing next summer would remove any need for an argument. In September, Team USA won seven medals at the world gymnastics championships in Stuttgart, Germany, and Johnson shone even brighter than the freshly polished gold hanging from her neck. After helping the American women win their first world team title in an event held outside the United States, Johnson became just the fourth U.S. woman to win the individual all-around. For good measure, the West Des Moines, Iowa, native completed the meet by taking another gold in the floor exercise. The all-around title put her in quite select historical company: Kim Zmeskal (1991), Shannon Miller (1993-94) and Chellsie Memmel (2005) are the only other U.S. women to hold that honor. "I felt like one of the most accomplished people in the world," said Johnson, who identifies Zmeskal as both her favorite gymnast and a mentor. Even before arriving at Stuttgart, Johnson had an impressive list of accomplishments. In 2007 - just her first year competing at the senior level - she has also swept the all-around titles at the United States nationals, Pan American Games and the American Cup. But despite the impressive resume, Johnson knows Olympic success represents her ultimate goal - and says she'll have little trouble staying motivated to perform at her best. "Having (the world) title is motivation for me," she said. "Just thinking the Olympics are not even a year away keeps me up and going every day to be the most well-rounded gymnast possible." As a 10th-grader at Valley High School in West Des Moines, Johnson also has to be a well-rounded student. She enjoys writing, language and literature, and puts in a regular school day before leaving to train for four hours each afternoon at Chow's Gymnastics and Dance Institute. She trains another six hours at Chow's each Saturday, with the Beijing Games playing the role of master motivator. "It's every child's dream, whether you're three or 33," Johnson said. "Everyone dreams of being in the Olympics. I 1 of 2 10/26/07 1:19 PM World champion Johnson has Olympic gold in sights - USATODA... http://usatoday.printthis.clickability.com/pt/cpt?action=cpt&title=Wo... just want to have the time of my life, and take everything in." Provided she qualifies in June at the U.S. Olympic Team Trials in Philadelphia, Johnson will be just one member of a star-studded team. Alicia Sacramone finished second in the floor exercise at the world championships and won bronze in the vault. Meanwhile, Nastia Liukin won gold on the balance beam and silver on the uneven bars, and projects as one of Johnson's toughest competitors in the individual all-around competition at Beijing. "I have no doubt in my mind that at the Olympics, the top two will be from the U.S.A.," Johnson said. "Knowing it's your own teammate motivates you even more." With her top teammates spread around the country - Liukin is from Parker, Texas, and Sacramone lives in Winchester, Mass. - Johnson doesn't get to spend a lot of time with them outside scheduled competitions, but says they keep in touch the same way most teenagers do: through text messaging. But it's Johnson who has become the face of this team, raising hopes and expectations with every successive performance. Her world titles have led to appearances on national news and talk shows, but anyone who thinks that the sudden exposure has affected her steadfast focus, think again. "Other than being congratulated by friends and family every day," she said, "I still feel like the same Shawn Johnson." If the same Shawn Johnson that competed in Stuttgart shows up in Beijing, the results could be historic. The Associated Press Find this article at: http://www.usatoday.com/sports/olympics/2007-10-25-2953153049_x.htm SAVE THIS | EMAIL THIS | Close Check the box to include the list of links referenced in the article. Copyright 2007 USA TODAY, a division of Gannett Co. Inc. 2 of 2 10/26/07 1:19 PM.
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