Shawn Johnson East facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Shawn Johnson East
Johnson in April 2012
Personal information
Nickname(s)	America's Sweetheart
Country represented	United States
Born	(1992-01-19) January 19, 1992 (age 33) Des Moines, Iowa, U.S.
Spouse	Andrew East ​ (m. 2016)​
Height	4 ft 11 in (150 cm)
Discipline	Women's artistic gymnastics
Years on national team	2004–2008, 2011–2012 (USA)
Club	Chow's Gymnastics and Dance Institute
Head coach(es)	Liang Chow
Assistant coach(es)	Liwen Zhuang
Music	August's Rhapsody from August Rush
Retired	June 3, 2012
Medal record Women's artistic gymnastics Representing the  United States Event 1st 2nd 3rd Olympic Games 1 3 0 World Championships 3 0 0 Pan American Games 5 2 0 American Cup 1 1 0 Olympic Games Gold 2008 Beijing Balance beam Silver 2008 Beijing Team Silver 2008 Beijing All-around Silver 2008 Beijing Floor exercise World Championships Gold 2007 Stuttgart Team Gold 2007 Stuttgart All-around Gold 2007 Stuttgart Floor exercise Pan American Games Gold 2007 Rio de Janeiro Team Gold 2007 Rio de Janeiro All-around Gold 2007 Rio de Janeiro Uneven bars Gold 2007 Rio de Janeiro Balance beam Gold 2011 Guadalajara Team Silver 2007 Rio de Janeiro Floor exercise Silver 2011 Guadalajara Uneven Bars American Cup Gold 2007 Jacksonville All-around Silver 2008 New York All-around
Children	3
Awards	Longines Prize for Elegance (2007) ESPY for Best US Female Olympian (2009) James E. Sullivan Award (2008)

Shawn Johnson East (born Shawn Machel Johnson on January 19, 1992) is a famous American former artistic gymnast. She won a gold medal on the balance beam at the 2008 Summer Olympics. She also earned silver medals for the team, all-around, and floor exercise events at those Olympics.

Shawn was also the World Champion in the all-around competition in 2007. She won five gold medals at the Pan American Games. These included team titles in 2007 and 2011, plus individual titles in all-around, uneven bars, and balance beam in 2007.

She joined the U.S. senior gymnastics team in 2007. In her first year, she won many major competitions. These included the American Cup, Pan American Games, U.S. National Championships, and World Championships. Shawn also won Dancing with the Stars in 2009. She later placed second in the all-star version of the show in 2012. Shawn announced her retirement from gymnastics on June 3, 2012.

Shawn's Early Life and Family

Shawn Johnson was born in Des Moines, Iowa, on January 19, 1992. Her parents, Doug and Teri Johnson, noticed her climbing and jumping when she was little. They enrolled her in a gymnastics class when she was just three years old.

When Shawn was six, she became one of the first students of Liang Chow. He opened a gymnastics school in West Des Moines, Iowa. Chow coached Shawn for almost 20 years as she became a top gymnast. Shawn has said that Chow is like a father to her.

Shawn went to Valley High School. She was a good student and enjoyed school events. She trained about 25 hours a week, which was less than many other elite gymnasts. This helped her have a more balanced life. In 2010, she finished high school with a private tutor.

Shawn is married to Andrew East, who played professional football. They got engaged in 2015 and married in 2016 in Franklin, Tennessee. They live in Nashville, Tennessee. They have three children: a daughter, Drew Hazel East (born October 29, 2019), and two sons, Jett James East (born July 19, 2021), and Barrett “Bear” Madison East (born December 12, 2023).

In 2022, Shawn and her husband became part of the ownership group for Angel City FC. This is a women's soccer team in the National Women's Soccer League.

Shawn's Gymnastics Journey

Starting as a Junior Gymnast

When Shawn was 12, she competed in the U.S. Level 10 National Championships. She finished fourth overall, first on the balance beam, and second on floor.

At first, Shawn was not invited to national team training camps. Her coach, Liang Chow, sent a video of her to the National Team Coordinator, Marta Karolyi. Chow believed Shawn would be a great help to the U.S. team. Karolyi was impressed and soon invited Shawn to the camps.

Shawn quickly became a Junior International Elite gymnast. In 2005, she placed third at the U.S. Classic. At the 2005 U.S. National Championships, she finished tenth all-around after a fall.

In 2006, Shawn learned many new and difficult skills. She won the 2006 U.S. Junior National All-Around Championship. Her score was even higher than some of the senior gymnasts.

Becoming a Senior Gymnast

2007: A Big Year

Shawn became a senior gymnast in 2007. She continued to add new skills, like a difficult dismount on the uneven bars. She won the all-around at the American Cup.

Shawn also competed in the 2007 Pan American Games. There, she won four gold medals: for the team, all-around, balance beam, and uneven bars. She also won a silver medal on floor exercise.

Later that year, Shawn won the all-around title at the 2007 U.S. National Championships. She beat her closest competitor by more than three points.

2007 World Championships Success

Shawn represented the U.S. at the 2007 World Artistic Gymnastics Championships. The U.S. team finished first in the qualifying rounds. Shawn made it to the all-around, beam, and floor finals.

In the team finals, Shawn competed on all four events. The U.S. team won the gold medal, which was their second team gold at the World Championships.

In the all-around finals, Shawn performed very well. Her total score made her the fourth American woman to win the all-around gold medal. She also won a gold medal on the floor exercise.

2008: Leading up to the Olympics

Johnson winning the 2008 U.S. National title.

Shawn competed in the American Cup again in March 2008. She finished second in the all-around, just behind her teammate Nastia Liukin.

One week later, Shawn helped the U.S. team win the junior and senior all-around team titles in Italy. Shawn also won the individual all-around title.

In June 2008, Shawn won the 2008 U.S. National Championships. She won the all-around title and the floor exercise. Two weeks later, she won the all-around at the Olympic Trials. Because of their top finishes, Shawn and Nastia Liukin were immediately named to the 2008 U.S. Olympic gymnastics team.

2008 Summer Olympics Glory

Johnson winning silver at the 2008 Summer Olympics all-around.

At the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing, Shawn competed in all four events during the team competition. The U.S. team won the silver medal.

Shawn also won the silver medal in the individual all-around competition. Her teammate, Nastia Liukin, won the gold medal. This was the first time American women won both gold and silver in the Olympic all-around.

Shawn won another silver medal in the floor exercise. She then won a gold medal on the balance beam. She was the second American woman to win gold on balance beam at the Olympics.

Coming Back to Gymnastics

In January 2010, Shawn injured her left knee while skiing. She had surgery to fix it. In May 2010, Shawn announced she was returning to gymnastics training. Her goal was to make the 2012 U.S. Olympic team.

By August 2010, her knee had recovered enough for full training. She even learned a new difficult skill. In February 2011, Shawn officially became a member of the USA Senior National team again. This allowed her to compete in international events.

In October 2011, Shawn was named to the 2011 Pan American Games Team. She won a gold medal with the team and a silver medal on the uneven bars.

Retirement from Competition

On June 3, 2012, Shawn Johnson decided to stop her comeback for the 2012 Olympic team. She retired from competitive gymnastics because of ongoing problems with her left knee.

Awards and Recognitions

Shawn Johnson has received many honors throughout her career:

• In 2009, Forbes magazine named her "America's Most-Liked Sports Figure."
• She won the "Best Female U.S. Olympian" ESPY Award in 2009.
• Shawn won the "Athlete – Female" Teen Choice Award two years in a row.
• On April 15, 2009, she received the prestigious AAU James E. Sullivan Award. This award honors athletes who show great leadership, character, and sportsmanship. She was the first female gymnast to win it.
• She won the 2008 Teen Choice Award for Best Female Athlete.
• A life-sized bronze statue of Shawn honors her at the Iowa Hall of Pride in Des Moines.
• In 2007, she received the "Longines Prize for Elegance" in Germany. This award recognizes athletes who show remarkable elegance in international competitions.
• After her World Championship wins in 2007, the Governor of Iowa, Chet Culver, declared October 17 "Shawn Johnson Day" in the state.
• In 2013, Shawn and her 2007 Worlds team teammates were inducted into the USA Gymnastics Hall of Fame.
• She was inducted into the International Gymnastics Hall of Fame in 2019.

Competitive History

Gymnastics Skills

Shawn Johnson was known for her power, difficulty, and consistency in gymnastics. She was especially strong on vault, beam, and floor. She was the first American gymnast to perform a 2.5 twisting Yurchenko vault, also known as an Amanar.

Competition Results

Year	Event	Team	AA	VT	UB	BB	FX
Junior
2004	J.O. National Championships		4	4
2005	Top Gym Competition
	Secret U.S. Classic
	U.S. National Championships		10	4	9
2006	USA-Japan-New Zealand Friendly
	Int'l Gymnix					5
	Pacific Alliance Championships
	Pan American Championships
	U.S. Classic
	U.S. National Championships
Senior
2007	American Cup
	USA-Great Britain Friendly
	Rio de Janeiro Pan American Games
	U.S. National Championships
	Suttgart World Championships					8
2008	American Cup
	Italy-Spain-Poland-USA Friendly
	U.S. National Championships				5
	U.S. Olympic Trials				4
	Beijing Olympic Games
2009	did not compete
2010
2011
	Guadalajara Pan American Games
	U.S. Classic				11	16
	U.S. National Championships				6	4

See also

In Spanish: Shawn Johnson para niños

• List of Olympic female gymnasts for the United States