It’s something that many of us have been wanting to see for a long time. Nastia was interviewed by NBC – read it here – there is also video footage which can be seen below or on YouTube. Nastia is hitting up the gym 6 days a week and looks fantastic!

I doubt that the music featured will be here new floor music, I would expect Nastia to make a big comeback with new floor music.

Just a month ago, 2008 Olympic Champion Nastia Liukinannounced her return to gymnastics, in the hopes of competing at the London 2012 Olympics. Announcing her comeback at the 2011 World Championships was seen as a poor choice by many avid gymnastics fans but Liukin revealed her intentions of starting 2-a-day training once the WCh’s were over, focusing on Uneven Bars and Balance Beam. For Liukin this means turning down lucrative deals and appearances and focusing on training.

Last week Liukin joined other top USA gymnasts such as Jordyn Wieber, Shawn Johnson and Gabrielle Douglas for the USOC London 2012 photo shoot - photos of all athletes can be seen here. She then traveled to a Training Camp at the Karolyi Ranch where she secured herself a place on the National Team by  showing her skills on bars and beam. Amanda Jetter was also named to the National Team. As of September 22nd, the National Team was as follows:

We should expect to see the first of Nastia Liukin at the 2012 CoverGirl Classic.

Nastia Liukin has arrived in London for her Britain Bound tour. However annoying she might be about a comeback, no one can deny that she is in fantastic shape! She looks like the old Nastia, and certainly looks like she is enjoying herself.

Photos by Bryn Lennon/Getty Images Europe

Indian Gymnastics

Silver and Bronze Commonwealth Games medalist Asish Kumar and the MAG Indian team are currently training in England with Coach Vladimir Cherktov. After crisitcising Kumar for not winning more medals, the Gymnastics Federation of India is doing all it can to support the gymnasts. The MAG have been training at the  Basildon Sporting Village in Essex from July 8 and  will  continue to do so until August 30, this is with the hope of performing well at the World Championships in October.So it seems that Cherktov is still coaching the team anyway and his contract was renewed, in January he wasn’t sure where he stood.

Nastia Liukin

Does a day go by when we don’t have some Nastia Liukin news? Nastia has been named to “Team USA: Britain Bound”. Ms Liukin will tour Britain with other former American Olympians… in fall/ autumn. You know, when she is to announce whether she is coming back or not…

Beth Tweddle

Wants to finish her career in style at the London 2012 Games but reminds everyone that the World Championships are first.

VISA Championships

The start lists have been drawn up for Nationals in August. Mattie Larson is missing from the line up and Sloan is listed.

 Rebecca Bross

Sports Illustrated writes that Bross could become the USA’s third straight golden gymnast. On this Valeri Liukin says:

“The goal is to become Olympic champion,” Valeri Liukin said. “We don’t talk about the medals normally, but I’m sure that’s what her goal is. That is my goal. Working that hard is not that interesting if you don’t dream big.”

Bits and Pieces of news from the gymnastics world this morning:

Gabrielle Douglas

Is to unveil an Amanar at the Visa Championships. Good for her, I’m already worrying about what the legs will be like.

Catalina Ponor

is looking in top shape in a video posted by Gymnastics Examiner. 

John Geddert

on the Code of Points.

Alicia Sacramone

says she has one year of gymnastics left in her.

Russian Gymnastics

More photos of the Russians training in Mallorca

EYOF

You can watch live coverage from the EYOF online. Yesterdays scores from the Men’s competition are available here.

Nastia Liukin

The news stream is all a buzz about Nastia Liukin again. Apparently she will make a decision on her comeback at the end of Autumn. She was also meant to do this by the end of 2010. Some of what she is quoted as saying makes you think she really misses gymnastics and competing. I fear if she was to make a comeback, there’s no way she could whip into as good a shape as Shawn has since her return. She is cutting it mighty close with exactly one year to go.

USA Today published a new article on the comebacks of 2008 Olympians  Shawn Johnson and Nastia Liukin. The article covers the usual for Shawn that she is training again and is still not sure how her knee will hold up but has vowed to move on from her injury.

“I’ve accepted the fact it’s never going to be 100%,” she said. “I can’t constantly worry about it. It would tear me down.”

Marta Karolyi is quoted as saying that Nastia is “still delaying” her decision and apparently might not decide whether or not to return to competition until next year. How late can Nastia leave it to decide that she will make a comeback?

The article also discusses Nastia’s other activities and goings on in her life, including being involved in the FIG’s decision on where to stage the 2011 World Gymnastics Championships.

In her role with the FIG, she is a liaison between athletes and the federation. She said she votes on the technical committee that helps establish rules.

This weekend she will head to California for a meeting where the FIG will discuss moving the world championships in the fall from Tokyo because of the effects of the earthquake and tsunami on Japan. She plans to attend a conference in Seoul this summer.

Liukin also was named an athlete representative for USA Gymnastics and will help select its teams. If she returns to competitions, she will step away from that role, she said.

Her duties with USAG require her to attend national camps, and that’s when a desire to compete tugs at her.

 

Busy girl, but come on already!

Yesterday USA Gymnastics and AEG announced that they have formed a partnership to stage a tour of the 2012 and 2016 Gymnastics Champions from the London and Rio de Janeiro Olympic Games. The tours will feature the USA’s top gymnasts, Olympic medalists and former champions.

Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images North America

Nastia Liukin has been named in the line up as a participant,a tour Spokesperson and as a Creative Director. Details of the 10 week, 40 city tour can be found on USA Gymnastics.

Yet again, this leaves me wondering about Nastia’s “comeback”. Can she possibly train properly for 2012 and organise this tour? What do YOU think? Can Nastia juggle both? Or is this the answer we were looking for, that she won’t be trying for London 2012?

Yesterday the BBC posted a video diary update from Shawn Johnson. I had said how it would be great if she did more of these. Then last night Nastia posted this video on her Facebook and Twitter pages. She seems to still be doing a hell of a lot of appearances, promotions but says that she is in the gym everyday – now is that the gym or the gymnastics gym? Shawn on the other hand has cut these out and is working away in the gym.

She says that she won’t be competing any time soon but the same goes for Shawn. Come on Nastia, put everything you have back into the gym for an amazing comeback!

GymNiceTic was the first to link to this yesterday. NASA met up with Nastia Liukin to discuss how gymnastics and astronauts in space are similar.  The video is available to download and watch on the NASA website. Of course, she had to throw in the word “Super Girl” into it! It’s a short video but none the less enjoyable.

GymNiceTic posted this video which shows Nastia in the gym training.

Trans World Sport did a feature with Nastia Liukin, in which they tell her story from the time before Beijing until now. So in the last two minutes after some routines from the Olympics and a little promotion for her supergirl – clothing line you actually see her training in the gym! She does some shaky turns, a side somi and free walkovers on beam, some dance on the floor and some tumbling.

Via GymNiceTic

I’ve mentioned before that I’m not one for montages but this one is just done really well. I really enjoyed it. Watch it below or on YouTube

I was doing some reading on nutrition this morning and came across this old link from the LA Times from 2008. You may have seen it before, I haven’t. In the below image the LA Times compares the height, weight, age of the 2008 Olympic USA and Chinese Women’s Teams. They wonder does the age requirement in Olympic Gymnastics give  the young and mostly smaller Chinese gymnasts an advantage.

We could discuss the possibility that these “sixteen” year old’s are lying about their age but let’s leave that out of it. If you base your thoughts on the actual results (article published August 12th 2008 – the day before the Women’s Team Final) – how do you feel? China won the Team Gold, the USA won silver. USA won 7 individual medals in the women’s competition (only one being a bronze) and China won five individual medals (only one being a gold).

I like to think it’s down to physical, natural ability and doesn’t have a lot to do with their smaller sized frame and age – what about you?

Youtube user Mariafelicio19 made this video for Nastia.

As I said before, I’m not normally one for montage videos but I think the music and footage go really well together. It was a well thought out video. Very nice.

Wow, I came back today from being away for a short break and my Reader is flooded with all the going’s on from the US Championships, YOG and GBR V ROM – thanks to all for your great reports!

USA Gymnastics still unhappy about age rules – Marta Karolyi and Steve Penny on the age rules

Australia’s Angela Donald dreaming of 2012

Nastia will head back to the gym and then she’ll decide on London 2012

I’m not a huge fan of the gymnastics montages but I like this one:

August already? Wow!!

GB’s Daniel Keatings is back training since suffering an ACL injury

Vladimir Chertkov faces the uphill task of producing champions in a sport which is still in its infancy in India

BBC Sport on Shawn Johnsons return to Gymnastics

Will She or Won’t She? Nastia Mulls Another Olympics