Current Gymnasts to Watch
The American stars of the sport right now are:- Nastia Liukin: four-time national champion (twice as a senior competitor), 2008 Olympic all-around champion
- Shawn Johnson: 2007 world all-around champion
- Chellsie Memmel: 2005 world all-around champion
- Alicia Sacramone: 2005 world floor champion, three-time world medalist on vault
Foreign gymnasts to watch:
- Cheng Fei (China): Three-time world vault champion
- Vanessa Ferrari (Italy): 2006 world all-around champion
- Jade Barbosa (Brazil): 2007 world all-around bronze medalist
- Elena Zamolochikova (Russia): two-time Olympic champion (2000; vault and floor)
- Daria Joura (Australia): 5th place all-around at 2006 Worlds
- Beth Tweddle (Great Britain): three-time world medalist on uneven bars
- Jiang Yuyuan (China): all-around champion at the 2007 Olympic Test Event
Current Top Teams
- The United States: Though the US has only won Olympic gold once as a team (1996), it was the 2003 and 2007 world champion, and the runner-up in the 2004 and 2008 Olympic Games.
- China: China won team gold at the 2008 Olympics and at 2006 Worlds, and has one of the deepest teams in the world. It also won bronze in the 2000 Olympic Games.
- Russia: Before the break-up of the Soviet Union, the Soviet team dominated women’s gymnastics, winning every Olympic team title from 1952-1992 (except in 1984, when the Soviet Union boycotted the Olympics). Now competing as independent republics, Russia has become the strongest nation from the former Soviet Union. The Russians placed third at the 2004 Olympics and 2006 Worlds.
- Romania: Romania has won five world team titles (1994, 1995, 1997, 1999, 2001), as well as the Olympic titles in both 2000 and 2004. In the past few years, however, a weakened Romanian team has only managed 4th (2006 Worlds) and 3rd (2007 Worlds and 2008 Olympics) place finishes.
Poll: Who's your favorite foreign gymnast currently competing?
- Jade Barbosa
- Cheng Fei
- Vanessa Ferrari
- Daria Joura
- Steliana Nistor
- Beth Tweddle
- Jiang Yuyuan
- Elena Zamolochikova
- Another gymnast!
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