Shawn Johnson has been dubbed "America's Next Great Gymnast", following in the footsteps of former American greats Dominique Dawes, Kerri Strug and Dominique Moceanu.
Johnson, 16, is ranked the world's top ranked all around female gymnast. Standing 4-foot-8, the student at Valley High School in West Des Moines, Iowa is training for the Olympic gymnastic trials set for June in Philadelphia.
As a member of the U.S. women’s team, she recently won the All Around title at the 2007 World Championships in Stuttgart, Germany. Johnson was also named the 2007 U.S. National All-Around Champion.
In the 2007 Pan American Games, Johnson won four gold medals (in the team finals, the individual all-around, and the balance beam and uneven bar finals) and one silver in the floor exercise final, making her the most successful gymnast of the games.
Johnson also won the 2007 Visa National Championships, beating two-time National Champion Nastia Liukin by more than five points, and Shayla Worley by more than three points.
Johnson represented the U.S. in the World Championships, with teammates Liukin, Worley, Alicia Sacramone, Ivana Hong, and Samantha Peszek. The team placed first with 184.400 points, 0.95 point ahead of the silver medal Chinese team.
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