2008 Olympic champion Nastia Liukin confirmed Tuesday that she hopes to return elite gymnastics, though she cannot give a date when fans should expect to see her back in competition.
Speaking on Tuesday's Inside Gymnastics Magazine radio broadcast, Liukin told hosts John Roethlisberger and Brian Jones that "2012 is in the back of my mind, and it would be absolutely amazing to go to an Olympic Games after 2008."
But in terms of whether she'll aim for the 2010 U.S. Championships, "I don't know," she said. "I wish I could really answer that and give you a determined date."
Liukin has been on a break from gymnastics since September, when she withdrew from the 2009 World team selection process, citing the need to relax and rejuvinate herself. She only competed on balance beam at the 2009 U.S. Championships. Since then, she's traveled to Denmark, tweeted from Los Angeles and voyaged to Cancun, Mexico to attend an International Gymnastics Federation (FIG) meeting in her official capacity as an Athlete Representative.
Liukin also hinted at "something coming up," that was not the Nastia Liukin Cup, a podium competition for level 10 gymnasts that will debut this March. But she did not give further details. "I've been working on it for the past few months and I'm really excited about it.," she added.
Gymnastics-wise, "I've been back in the gym doing a lot of running and a lot of conditioning," she said, in addition to spending time with up-and-coming WOGA gymnasts Rebecca Bross and Ivana Hong. With Hong, she recently saw the Twilight movie "New Moon." "I'm definitely a Team Jacob," she divulged. Her winter plans include skiing, an activity she used to do every year but stopped when she began making the U.S. National Team for fear she'd get injured.
If and when Liukin does return, being an FIG athlete representative will not pose a conflict of interest. "I looked into it," she said. Roethlisberger noted that Russia's Svetlana Khorkina, who retired from the sport in 2004 at age 25, held the same post for eight years, although according to Roethlisberger, Khorkina didn't attend its meetings.
Liukin has already accomplished a great deal, being one of the few who can write "Olympic gymnastics all-around champion" after her name.
"I already have that [gold] in my hands and nobody can take that away from me," she said. "Now going forward is just about my passion for the sport."
Related: Notes and quotes from the Inside Gymnastics radio broadcast featuring Liukin, Jonathan Horton, Alicia Sacramone and Shannon Miller.
Follow Gymnastics Examiner Blythe Lawrence on Twitter at www.twitter.com/GymExaminer.
Comments
It is a conflict of interest and it is ridiculous that nobody will acknowledge it.
Same with usa-gymnastics creating a series of meet's in Nastia name.
No wonder no one pays attention this this sport during the off seasons from the olympics. It appears to be fixed. Like when Grandi criticized the Chinese and praised Nastia after the Olympics pretty mush giving off the impression that he had pre-conceived idea's on who should win and you add that to the gross over scoring Nastia got and you should not wonder why people think this sport is fixed.
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