Nastia Liukin

Anastasia "Nastia" Liukin is a Russian-American former artistic gymnast. Born on October 30, 1989, she is the 2008 Olympic all-around champion, a five-time Olympic medalist, and a nine-time World Championship medalist. She won World titles on the balance beam in 2005 and 2007, as well as on the uneven bars in 2005. A four-time all-around U.S. national champion across junior and senior levels, Liukin tied the record for the most medals won by an American gymnast at a single non-boycotted Olympic Games.

Liukin was born in Moscow, Soviet Union, to former Soviet champion gymnasts Valeri Liukin and Anna Kotchneva. Fluent in English and Russian, she moved to the United States with her family at age two and a half, eventually settling in Texas. Her father co-founded the World Olympic Gymnastics Academy in 1994. Liukin began gymnastics at age three while spending time at her parents' gym. She graduated high school from Spring Creek Academy in 2007, attended Southern Methodist University, and graduated from New York University in 2016 with a degree in sports management and psychology.

Liukin made her junior national debut in 2002, earning a spot on the U.S. National Team and winning team gold at the Junior Pan American Championships. She won the junior U.S. national all-around title in 2003 and 2004, while also taking team gold at the 2003 Pan American Games and the junior all-around title at the 2004 Pacific Alliance Championships. Age restrictions prevented her from competing as a senior at the 2004 Olympic Games.

In 2005, Liukin won her first senior national title and earned World titles on bars and beam, along with silver in the all-around. She defended her senior national all-around title in 2006 and earned two World Championship silver medals despite an ankle injury. After ankle surgery, she helped the U.S. team win gold at the 2007 World Championships, where she also reclaimed the World balance beam title and won silver on the uneven bars.

At the 2008 Beijing Olympics, Liukin won the all-around gold medal, becoming the third American woman to achieve the title. She added team, balance beam, and uneven bars silver medals, as well as a floor exercise bronze medal, totaling five medals at the Games. For her performance, she was named USOC Co-Sportswoman of the Year and FIG Athlete of the Year.

After a brief hiatus and an attempted comeback for the 2012 Games, Liukin officially retired from competitive gymnastics on July 2, 2012. Since 2010, she has hosted the Nastia Liukin Cup for Level 10 gymnasts in the United States. She has worked as an NBC Sports commentator and appeared on season 20 of Dancing with the Stars. Liukin was inducted into the International Gymnastics Hall of Fame in 2018 and the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Hall of Fame in 2019.