Hype Surrounds USA’s Golden Girl (15th November, 2005)

Enormous hype surrounds the World Championships debut of American gymnast, Anastasia Liukin in Melbourne, as many consider her the newest golden girl on the gymnastics scene. With the retirement of the legendary queen of gymnastics, Svetlana Khorkina and Olympic champion Carly Patterson filling her time with publicity commitments since her gold medal win, the time is right for Liukin to become the new darling of gymnastics.

Liukin, who goes by the shortened name of Nastia, was announced as a member of the US women’s team on Sunday after a selection process based on the performances at the USA Gymnastics National Training Centre in Huntsville, Texas. Joining Liukin on the team are experienced seniors Chellsie Memmel and Alicia Sacramore and fellow world debutant Jana Bieger.

Much of the attention surrounding 16 year old Liukin stems from her parentage. Nastia has the genes of a World Champion mother and an Olympic champion father behind her. Both her parents, Valeri and Anna Liukin, competed for the Soviet Union in gymnastics in the 80s.

Her father, Valeri, won four medals at the 1988 Olympic Games in Seoul, two golds on horizontal bar and in the team event and two silvers in the all around and on parallel bars. He was honoured earlier this year when he was inducted into the International Gymnastics Hall of Fame.

Nastia’s mother, Anna (nee Kotchneva) was the 1987 World Rhythmic Gymnastics Champion and was admired in the gymnastics world for her grace and elegance during competition.

Her parents experience provides not only an inspiration for Nastia but also practical advice in the gym as she is coached by her father. She originally trained with Sergei Pakanich, then with her mother and family friend Evgeny Marchenko, before finally settling under her father’s watchful eye with him vowing to teach her for as long as she wants to be involved in the sport.

Nastia has a close relationship with both her parents and hopes to one day match their success on the international stage. For now, she is content to gain more experience on the international scene. Liukin moved to Louisiana with her parents when she was two, where her parents began coaching at a New Orleans gym.

Eventually they opened a gym with Marchenko, who coached 2004 Olympic champion Carly Patterson and he was responsible for introducing Valeri and Anna when they were younger.

Her parents were unable to pay for a babysitter for a young Liukin, which meant Nastia spent much of her younger years in the gym watching her parents coach, often standing on the sides copying routines of the older gymnasts before her parents finally realised her talent in the sport.

Nastia is often referred to as the ‘next big thing’ in gymnastics, based on her amazing form as a young gymnast. Her freakish talent as a junior gymnast allowed her to continually out perform her peers and resulted in her progressing quickly through the ranks.

At only 12, she qualified for the 2002 US National Championships placing 15th in the all around event. But it was at the 2003 Nationals that Nastia began her domination, winning the national title and gold medals on bars, beam and floor and she defended all four titles in 2004.

However, it is her National Senior title from the 2005 National Championships that Liukin considers her biggest achievement to date. She won the gold ahead of Memmel and Bieger and also collected golds on bars and beam.

Noted for her grace and flair on floor, Liukin also became the first woman to perform a quadruple twist. She has yet to confirm whether she will perform this element and the 3 ½ twist in Melbourne.

‘I haven’t decided 100 per cent on my routines’ said Liukin shortly before boarding a flight to Melbourne on Monday. ‘I will go over and see how it feels over there. Either is still possible.’

Outside of the gym, Liukin attends Spring Creek Academy, where she is able to juggle her studies with her training commitments. Her gymnastics talents have also resulted in opportunities away from the gym and allowed Liukin to pursue her passion - acting. Earlier this year, Liukin playing a speaking part in Disney’s upcoming film ‘Stick It’.

Liukin was one of a handful of gymnasts selected for the film, which wrapped up filming in August. Other gymnasts in the film include Carly Patterson, France’s Isabelle Severino, China’s Olympic medallist Yang Yun, recently retired Australian gymnast Allana Slater and Spain’s Tania Gener.

Before this role, Nastia was featured in an Adidas advertising campaign with the slogan ‘Impossible is Nothing’. In the ad, Nastia is shown competing simultaneously on the bars with Romanian great Nadia Comaneci at age 14.

Liukin’s talent for the sport is undeniable. Many are asking the question - will she compete in Beijing in 2008?

‘My focus is the Worlds right now, this is where we are at. 2008 is a long way away.’ said Liukin who was disappointed when her age ruled her out of contention for a place on the US team for the Athens Olympics last year.

‘We’ve got a lot of competitions between now and then’, she said.

The US National selectors have yet to announce the apparatus allocation for competition in Melbourne, with only three gymnasts from each country eligible to compete on each apparatus.

With strong form at the US Nationals, Liukin and Memmel are tipped to compete in the all around qualification. Liukin is not bothered by the knee injury that troubled her earlier this year.

‘It (knee) is a 100 per cent better. I am ready for all four events. They haven’t assigned us but I’m prepared.’

Liukin will begin her World Championships medal campaign next Wednesday when she competes in the women’s qualification rounds.

Look for complete coverage of the 2005 World Championships in issue one of Backflip Gymnastics Magazine. Subscribe today!