Liang Qiao

Olympic medalist hopes to repeat success at this summer’s London Games

CBS News, CBS Sunday Morning

American gymnast Shawn Johnson was a Golden Girl at the 2008 Olympics – and she hopes to repeat that performance at this summer’s games in London.

Flying through the air makes her feel “like you’re invincible. Makes you feel like Superman and gives you a thrill. It’s like an adrenaline rush.”

It’s obvious that Shawn Johnson loves gymnastics, a sport she’s very good at: “It’s what I live for.”

At the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing, she stuck her landings and struck gold on the balance beam, and additionally won three silver medals.

Now at age 20 – young by life standards, not so young for a gymnast – she’s hoping to compete in this summer’s London Games.

“A lot of the kids in here are 10 – so are you kind of like the old lady of this gym?” asked Rocca.

“Pretty much. I’m the grandma,” she laughed. “I’ve been through it and they’re, like, ‘Oh, she’s so old. How could she still do it?’”

Johnson still does it – every morning in her hometown of West Des Moines, Iowa, under the watchful eye of her longtime coach Liang Chow. (read more)

July 2011

Liang Chow, Coach of Olympic gold medalist Shawn Johnson, is the newest coach on the Nike team.

Chow is very proud of the endorsement and alongside

Johnson,wore his Nike apparel proudly at the 2011 Visa U.S. Gymnastics Championships.  Chow will visit the exclusive Nike Campus with Shawn on November 2, 2011.

(read more)

By Juliet Macur, The New York Times

BEIJING — In her final chance for a gold medal at these Olympics, Shawn Johnson hopped up on the balance beam and sparkled in her blue and red leotard.

Three times, she had finished second at these Games. But for Johnson, the 16-year-old with the blinding smile, that would not be enough.

So she buried her disappointment and hit her routine, sticking to the beam on each landing, as if her feet had glue on them. Afterward, she hugged her competitors from China, then waited for the final two gymnasts to perform.

Neither of them would score higher than Johnson’s 16.225.

On the arena floor, Johnson melted into her coach, Liang Qiao, for a big bear hug. She had dreamed of giving him a gold medal here in his hometown and finally, on the last day of gymnastics competition, she had done it. (read more)

By Tan Yingzi, China Daily Staff Writer

For US women’s gymnastics coach Qiao Liang, it’s good to be home.

Qiao, a Beijing native and former Asian champion, has returned to his hometown for the Olympics after an absence of 14 years.

“It’s great to be back,” Qiao said during the US team’s press conference at the Main Press Center on Thursday.

“I’ve seen a lot of my former teammates and friends. When I go to the arena, it seems that everybody knows me. It’s a great feeling.”

Qiao took up gymnastics at age 5. During the 1980s, he was one of the star gymnasts on the Chinese national team, winning several titles at National Games, Asian Games and World Cup events.

He retired after the 1990 Asian Games and moved to the US, where he received a scholarship at the University of Iowa.

“I stayed on the national team for 10 years and I had a great time there. I had a good relationship with my coaches and teammates. But after I retired, I thought I was too young to stay on the team as a coach,” he said.

“The world was so big and I felt I wanted to take advantage of other opportunities.” (read more)