U.S. Women Finish 1-2

Liukin Bests Johnson for Gold Medal in All-Around

BEIJING, Aug. 15 -- U.S. gymnasts Nastia Liukin and Shawn Johnson won gold and silver in the women's individual all-around Friday at Beijing's National Indoor Stadium, fending off spirited performances by China's best tumblers, who ages remain a source of controversy.

The competition came down to the final event, the floor exercise, with Liukin holding a narrow lead over China's Yang Yilin and Johnson third. But Yang faltered under the pressure, and Liukin and Johnson earned the exact same marks.

The outcome spoiled what would have been a Chinese sweep of the most prestigious gymnastics events. The host country had won three golds in as many days: the men's and women's team golds and the men's individual all-around.

But on Friday, the Americans proved that the world's best in women's gymnastics is a lithe 18-year-old Texan with nerves of steel. And the second best is a 4-foot-9 high school senior from West Des Moines, Iowa, who stood almost as tall.

Liukin's final tally was 63.325, with Johnson behind at 62.725 and Yang winning the bronze with 62.650.

Johnson, 16, the reigning world all-around champion, entered as the favorite, having earned top marks in Sunday's qualifications. Liukin qualified second despite an ugly fall on the dismount of her uneven bars routine. And Yang was third -- the most versatile, if not the flashiest, of China's young gymnasts.

The top six qualifiers in the field of 24 gymnasts were placed in the same sub-group for Friday's finals. That meant they performed on the same apparatus in succession, making it easy to directly compare the medal contenders' performances as the four-event competition unfolded.

Up first was the vault, among Johnson's specialties. She took one step forward on her landing, incurring a slight deduction. But the score (15.875) placed Johnson first in the top group, while China's Jiang Yuyuan landed short and fell flat on her back.

Johnson was second overall after the first rotation; Liukin, 10th.

The uneven bars represented Liukin's opportunity to shine. She and Yang boasted the most difficult routines of the competition.

At 5-3, Liukin is at her best on the unevens, whipping her willowy frame between the bars with a ballerina's grace. A slight step on her landing undercut her marks (16.650), leaving an opening for Yang, who scored 16.725.

The difference vaulted Yang into the lead mid-way through the competition, with Liukin second and Johnson fifth.

The balance beam tends to separate even the most prepared gymnasts. Just four inches wide, it represents a ruthless test of nerves. And with the gold very much in play, the Americans fared better than the Chinese.

Johnson went first, bobbling once. Capable of better, she still scored 16.050. Liukin topped all, earned a 16.125 score that drew unhappy murmurs from the crowd. Neither Chinese gymnast's score was above 15.750.

Entering the final routine, the top three were separated by just .600 points. Liukin and Johnson were first and third; Yang, second.

China has poured billions into the Games -- building breathtaking venues that stretch the boundaries of contemporary design and building young athletes who push the limits of human performance.

China's female gymnasts, in particular, have been dogged by questions about whether they are too young. To compete internationally, gymnasts must be 16 years old (or due to turn 16 during the year in which they compete). Such age limits didn't exist when 14-year-old Nadia Comaneci of Romania earned the first perfect score in Olympic competition at the 1976 Games.

Both Chinese women competing for the all-around, Yang and Jiang, have been cited by news reports as being as young as 14. Their passport data, however, place Yang at 15 (with a birthday Aug. 26) and Jiang at 16.

The sport's governing body, the International Federation of Gymnastics (FIG), has made clear that it doesn't intend to delve into the issue further. In the view of president Bruno Grandi, FIG's responsibility ends with the information on a gymnast's passport. To question passport data supplied by a country is a practical impossibility. Grandi even dismissed the notion that a first-hand confession by a gymnast that she was underage would be cause for FIG to question whatever is stated on her passport.