Nastia Liukin facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Nastia Liukin
Liukin in June 2020
Personal information
Full name	Anastasia Valeryevna Liukina
Nickname(s)	Nastia
Country represented	United States
Born	(1989-10-30) October 30, 1989 (age 35) Moscow, Russian SFSR, Soviet Union (now Moscow, Russian Federation)
Height	5 ft 3 in (160 cm)
Discipline	Women's artistic gymnastics
Years on national team	2002–2009, 2011–2012
Gym	World Olympic Gymnastics Academy
Head coach(es)	Valeri Liukin
Former coach(es)	Anna Kotchneva
Eponymous skills	Liukin (Balance beam)
Retired	July 2, 2012
Medal record Women's artistic gymnastics Representing the  United States Event 1st 2nd 3rd Olympic Games 1 3 1 World Championships 4 5 0 Pan American Games 3 3 2 Pacific Rim Championships 5 3 0 American Cup 2 0 0 Olympic Games Gold 2008 Beijing All-around Silver 2008 Beijing Team Silver 2008 Beijing Uneven bars Silver 2008 Beijing Balance beam Bronze 2008 Beijing Floor exercise World Championships Gold 2005 Melbourne Uneven bars Gold 2005 Melbourne Balance beam Gold 2007 Stuttgart Team Gold 2007 Stuttgart Balance beam Silver 2005 Melbourne All-around Silver 2005 Melbourne Floor exercise Silver 2006 Aarhus Team Silver 2006 Aarhus Uneven bars Silver 2007 Stuttgart Uneven bars Pan American Games Gold 2003 Santo Domingo Team Gold 2003 Santo Domingo Balance beam Gold 2007 Rio de Janeiro Team Silver 2003 Santo Domingo All-around Silver 2007 Rio de Janeiro Uneven bars Silver 2007 Rio de Janeiro Balance beam Bronze 2003 Santo Domingo Uneven bars Bronze 2003 Santo Domingo Floor exercise Pacific Rim Championships Gold 2006 Honolulu Team Gold 2006 Honolulu Uneven Bars Gold 2008 San Jose Team Gold 2008 San Jose All-Around Gold 2008 San Jose Balance Beam Silver 2008 San Jose Uneven bars Silver 2006 Honolulu All-Around Silver 2006 Honolulu Balance Beam FIG World Cup Event 1st 2nd 3rd All-Around World Cup 2 0 0
Alma mater	New York University
Parents	Valeri Liukin (father) Anna Kotchneva (mother)

Anastasia "Nastia" Valeryevna Liukin is a famous American former artistic gymnast. She is best known for winning the all-around gold medal at the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing. Nastia also won four other Olympic medals, making her a five-time Olympic medalist.

She was a World champion on the balance beam in 2005 and 2007. She also won the World title on the uneven bars in 2005. Nastia was a four-time U.S. national champion, winning twice as a junior and twice as a senior. She has nine medals from the World Artistic Gymnastics Championships, which is one of the highest totals for a U.S. gymnast. Nastia retired from gymnastics on July 2, 2012.

About Nastia's Life

Nastia Liukin was born on October 30, 1989, in Moscow, which was then part of the Soviet Union. Her parents were both champion gymnasts. Her father, Valeri Liukin, won two gold medals at the 1988 Summer Olympics. Her mother, Anna Kotchneva, was a World champion in rhythmic gymnastics. Nastia's nickname, Nastia, is a common short form for Anastasia in Russian.

When Nastia was two and a half years old, her family moved to the United States. They first lived in New Orleans before settling in Texas. In 1994, her father and another former Soviet gymnast, Yevgeny Marchenko, opened the World Olympic Gymnastics Academy (WOGA) in Plano, Texas.

Nastia speaks both English and Russian. She finished high school in 2007. Later, she studied at New York University and graduated in May 2016. She focused on sports management and psychology.

Nastia has helped many charities over the years. These include Cards for Hospitalized Kids and breast cancer awareness. She also started the Nastia Liukin Fund with USA Gymnastics. This fund helps support programs that encourage young people to be active and fit.

Nastia's Early Gymnastics Career

Nastia started gymnastics when she was three years old. She spent a lot of time at the gym with her parents, who were coaches. At first, her parents didn't want her to be a gymnast because they knew how tough it could be. But they saw how talented she was and decided to support her.

Nastia competed in her first national championships as a junior in 2002. She was 12 years old. Even though she had a fall on the uneven bars, she still finished 15th. This earned her a spot on the U.S. National Team. She then helped the U.S. team win a gold medal at the 2002 Junior Pan American Championships. She also won silver medals on the uneven bars, balance beam, and in the all-around.

In 2003, Nastia won the junior U.S. National Championships. She also won gold medals on the uneven bars, balance beam, and floor exercise. She was part of the U.S. team that won gold at the 2003 Pan American Games. She also won the junior all-around title at the 2004 Pacific Alliance Championships. Nastia won the junior U.S. all-around championship again in 2004. She was too young to compete in the 2004 Olympics.

Nastia's Senior Gymnastics Career

2005 and 2006 Competitions

In 2005, Nastia won her first senior national championship. She also won gold medals on the uneven bars and balance beam. At the 2005 World Artistic Gymnastics Championships in Melbourne, she won the silver medal in the all-around. She also won gold medals on the uneven bars and balance beam, and a silver medal on the floor exercise.

In 2006, Nastia won the all-around title at the American Cup. She also helped the U.S. team win gold at the Pacific Alliance Championships. She won the uneven bars title and a silver medal on the balance beam. Later that year, she won her second senior national championship. She also defended her titles on the balance beam and uneven bars.

At the 2006 World Championships, Nastia had an ankle injury. She could only compete on the uneven bars. Her score helped the U.S. team win the silver medal. She also won a silver medal on the uneven bars.

2007 Competitions

Nastia had surgery on her ankle, which kept her from competing for a while. In July 2007, she returned to compete at the Pan Am Games in Rio de Janeiro. She only competed on bars and beam. She helped the team win a gold medal and won individual silver medals on both events.

At the 2007 U.S. National Championships, Nastia competed in the all-around. She had the highest score on bars and the second highest on beam. She won the senior bars title for the third year in a row. She finished third overall in the competition.

Nastia then competed at the World Championships in Stuttgart, Germany. Her uneven bars routine had the highest score of the entire competition. She won her world champion title back on the balance beam. She also earned a silver medal on the uneven bars.

2008: The Olympic Year

Nastia started 2008 by winning the American Cup. She beat Shawn Johnson, who had won in 2007. Nastia then led the American team to a gold medal at the Pacific Rim Championships. She also won the all-around and balance beam titles.

At the 2008 U.S. National Championships, Nastia placed second in the all-around behind Shawn Johnson. She won her national title on the balance beam again. She also defended her uneven bars title for the fourth year in a row. In June, Nastia competed at the U.S. Olympic Trials. She finished second and earned a spot on the U.S. team for the Beijing Olympics.

2008 Beijing Olympics

Nastia Liukin winning the gold medal in the all-around at the 2008 Beijing Olympics.

At the 2008 Olympics, Nastia competed in the team finals. Her uneven bars score was the highest score given in the entire Olympic competition. The American team won the silver medal.

On August 15, 2008, Nastia performed amazing routines on all four events. She won the all-around gold medal! Shawn Johnson won the silver medal. This was only the third time an American woman had won the Olympic all-around title. It was also the fourth time that two gymnasts from the same country won first and second place in the women's all-around.

In the event finals, Nastia won a bronze medal on floor exercise. On uneven bars, she and China's He Kexin had the same score. After a tie-breaking rule, He Kexin won gold, and Nastia won silver. On the balance beam, Nastia won silver, with Shawn Johnson taking the gold. With five medals from Beijing, Nastia tied the record for the most gymnastics medals won by an American in a single Olympic Games.

After the Olympics, Nastia received many awards. She was named USOC Female Athlete of the Month and Co-Sportswoman of the Year. She was also named FIG Athlete of the Year.

2009 and 2012 Comeback

In 2009, Nastia decided to continue with gymnastics. She competed only on the balance beam at the CoverGirl Classic and the U.S. Championships. She placed second and fourth, respectively. She decided not to compete at the World Championships that year.

In the fall of 2011, Nastia announced she was training for the 2012 Olympic Games. She competed on the balance beam at the 2012 U.S. Classic, finishing third. At the Visa Championships, she competed on beam and uneven bars. Nastia was chosen to compete at the Olympic Trials.

Nastia's gymnastics career ended after the 2012 Olympic Trials. She fell off the bars during her routine but finished strong. She did not make the 2012 Olympic team. Nastia went to London as a representative for the International Gymnastics Federation.

Nastia's Special Skill

Nastia Liukin has a gymnastics skill named after her in the official Code of Points. It is on the balance beam.

• Balance beam: The "Liukin" is a forward tucked salto (a flip) where the gymnast takes off from one leg and lands on one or two feet.

Nastia Liukin Cup

The Nastia Liukin Cup is a gymnastics competition held every year in the United States. Nastia Liukin hosts this event. It started in 2010. The competition is for Level 10 gymnasts, who are high-level athletes before they become elite. Gymnasts qualify for the Cup at special events across the country.

The competition helps young gymnasts experience competing in a big arena on a raised platform. This is usually only for elite competitions. All the money raised from the Nastia Liukin Cup goes to the Nastia Liukin Fund. This fund helps support fitness programs for young people and gives financial help to gymnasts who need it.

Many gymnasts who competed in the Nastia Liukin Cup later became famous. These include Gabby Douglas, who won the Olympic all-around in 2012, and Morgan Hurd, who won the World all-around in 2017.

Nastia in Media

Film and Television Appearances

Nastia has appeared in movies and TV shows. She had small roles in the 2006 film Stick It and an episode of Gossip Girl in 2008. She also appeared on The CW series Hellcats.

After the 2008 Olympics, Nastia was part of "The Tour of Gymnastics Superstars." In 2015, she competed on the 20th season of Dancing with the Stars. She was partnered with professional dancer Derek Hough. They made it to the semi-finals. She also returned to the show in 2018 as a trio partner.

In May 2015, Nastia was the grand marshal for the 2015 Indianapolis 500 race. In January 2023, she appeared on the reality show Special Forces on FOX. Nastia also works as an analyst for NBC Sports, covering gymnastics events. She was a special reporter for NBC during the 2014 Winter Olympics.

Partnerships and Books

In 2017, Nastia launched her own line of gymnastics equipment. It includes mats, bars, and balance beams in her special pink color.

Nastia has worked with many companies like Visa, AT&T, and GK Elite Sportswear. She appeared in commercials for Adidas and Visa. After the Beijing Olympics, she was featured on Wheaties cereal boxes. She also had a clothing line for girls called Supergirl by Nastia.

Nastia released her autobiography, Finding My Shine, on November 24, 2015.

Images for kids

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  Nastia performs on the balance beam at the 2008 U.S. National Championships.

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  Nastia performing on the balance beam at the 2008 Olympics.