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Shawn Johnson Rehabbing, Eyeing London

2.2.12

Shawn Johnson was the 2008 Olympic gold medalist on beam but knows she has lots of work ahead to make the ultra-competitive 2012 U.S. Olympic gymnastics team. (Ronald Martinez/Getty Images)

espnW.com: Athlete’s Life- Shawn Johnson Rehabbing, Eyeing London

By Shawn Johnson

My coach, Liang Chow, had one rule while I was training for the 2008 Olympics: no skiing. I could do anything I wanted outside the gym, he said, except ski. Naturally, when the Olympics were over and I was able to take a break from high-level gymnastics, I told my parents I wanted to learn to ski.

We celebrated my 18th birthday, in January 2010, with a skiing trip to Colorado. On the final run of our last day, our group stood at the top of the mountain and looked at two different paths: a difficult black diamond trail or an intermediate blue run. My friends decided to ski the black diamond, but I was tired and lacked confidence to make it down the more difficult hill. I chose the intermediate run. Halfway down, I hit a patch of ice and I fell. It wasn’t a bad fall, but the binding holding my left foot to the ski didn’t unfasten. My ski caught in the snow with my left leg still attached while I rolled over my knee. (read more)

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Shawn Johnson Will Blog for espnW

2.2.12

Shawn Johnson is doing a six-week intensive rehab program to heal her surgically repaired knee before returning to full gymnastics training. (espnW, Photo courtesy of Shawn Johnson)

Shawn Johnson will be blogging for espnW throughout her training for the 2012 Olympics in London this summer! Check out her first post, espnW.com: Athlete’s Life- Shawn Johnson Rehabbing, Eyeing London. Come back in March for more on her journey! (read more)

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Hamm Sets Bar High

2.2.12

Hamm Sets Bar High

It’s been nearly eight years since Paul Hamm of Waukesha became the first American gymnast to win all-around men’s gold at the Olympic Games and four years since he last competed anywhere.

While his latest comeback hasn’t been without its challenges, Hamm is ready to take the next step by competing in the Winter Cup Challenge starting Thursday at the Las Vegas (Nev.) Sports Center.

Hamm, 29, plans to compete on four of the six apparatus: floor exercise, pommel horse, vault and parallel bars. He is not yet ready on the high bar and rings following surgery one year ago to repair a torn labrum and rotator cuff in his right shoulder.

“Keep in mind I haven’t competed in four years, but I think you’re going to see (the old) Paul Hamm on four events this weekend,” he said in a conference call Tuesday. (read more)

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Shawn Johnson to Write Memoir With Tyndale House Publishers

1.24.12

Winning Balance: What I’ve Learned So Far about Love, Faith, and Living Your Dreams

For Immediate Release
January 24, 2012

SHAWN JOHNSON TO WRITE MEMOIR WITH TYNDALE HOUSE PUBLISHERS
BOOK BY OLYMPIC GYMNAST, DANCING WITH THE STARS WINNER TO RELEASE JUNE 2012

Carol Stream, IL –Four-time Olympic medalist and Dancing with the Stars winner Shawn Johnson will release a memoir, Winning Balance: What I’ve Learned So Far about Love, Faith, and Living Your Dreams, with Tyndale House Publishers, the Illinois-based publisher announced today. The book, which is scheduled to release June 5, 2012, comes as Johnson is attempting an Olympic comeback after a potentially career-ending ski injury in 2010. The book will provide an intimate look into Johnson’s life, including her remarkably balanced upbringing in Iowa, her quest for gold at the 2008 Olympic Games, her hard work and determination in the face of adversity after the Olympics, her turn on Dancing with the Stars, and what she is learning as she prepares for a possible comeback at the 2012 Olympics in London. The book will feature a comprehensive marketing and publicity campaign. (read more)

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Olympic Champ Paul Hamm to Compete for First Time Since ’08

1.23.12

Olympic Champ Paul Hamm to Compete for First Time Since ’08

Olympic Champion Paul Hamm is back, and ready to compete for the first time since ’08.

Associated Press

2004 Athens All-Around Olympic Champion Paul Hamm plans to compete at a U.S. men’s ranking meet next month, his first competition since breaking his hand at the 2008 National Championships.

Hamm hopes to earn one of eight spots on the national team available at Winter Cup, Feb. 2 and 4 at the Sports Center in Las Vegas.  Being part of the national team would put him in the pool for international competition and also make him eligible for training funds from USA Gymnastics.

Paul Hamm, the only American man to win the Olympic and world all-around titles, missed the Beijing Olympics after breaking his hand in 2008.  He came out of retirement for a second time in the summer of 2010 but missed last year’s National Championships while he recovered from shoulder surgery. (read more)

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