Shawn Johnson resumes training

Shawn Johnson won four medals in Beijing. AP Photo/Amy Sancetta

Merry Christmas, Shawn Johnson fans -- the 2008 Olympic beam champion has gone back to the gym.

Johnson has been training at Chow's Gymnastics and Dance Facility for the past week in what could be percieved as the first steps toward an elite gymnastics comeback, the Associated Press reported Wednesday.

Whether or not Johnson would return to elite gymnastics after her Olympic success has been a huge question mark, especially since winning ABC's "Dancing with the Stars" last spring made her even more of a household name. Given the many opportunities that have come her way since, many gymnastics fans believed Johnson had already chosen to hang up her grips for good.

Apparently not.

Johnson's father, Doug, said she began training a little more than a week ago and is working out about every other day.

In July, Johnson told The Des Moines Register that she would have to commit "this year" to have enough time to prepare for a potential return to the Olympics.

No decision on Olympic competition has been finalized, however, Doug Johnson said.

"She hasn't made a decision yet," Doug Johnson said. "That's kind of why she's down at Chow's now. She wanted to get back in the gym and see how things went and get back into shape, as far as being at the gym and stuff."

At the U.S. Championships in August, Johnson told the press that she expected to make a decision about a comeback by the end of the 2009. She also said that she likely wouldn't return to elite level gymnastics unless she could come back "better than I was before." She also said that were she to attempt a comeback, it would be under her longtime coach Liang Chow.

That comeback could be made harder by her more mature body; Johnson is several inches taller than she was in Beijing and has also gained some weight. She has been working with a personal trainer to keep fit.

In a recent interview with International Gymnast Magazine, Johnson said she has not yet applied to college and was taking time to ponder her next move. "There's nothing rushing me and I just want to make sure I make the right decision," she told IG.

Shawn Johnson, 2008 Olympic Games Event Finals, Floor:

Follow Gymnastics Examiner Blythe Lawrence on Twitter at www.twitter.com/GymExaminer.