Liukin receives 2008 USOC Co-Sportswoman of the Year

DALLAS, Texas, June 23, 2009 – 2008 Olympic all-around champion Nastia Liukin of Parker, Texas, officially received her 2008 U.S. Olympic Committee Co-Sportswoman of the Year award in a presentation with Dallas Mayor Tom Leppert and USA Gymnastics President Steve Penny as part of an Olympic Day celebration held at WOGA Dallas on June 23. The Olympic Day program included 1996 Olympic gold-medalist Kerri Strug, 2004 Olympic all-around champion Carly Patterson and Liukin speaking to children from the Dallas area about their personal gymnastics experiences, how sports can help teach life lessons, and what the Olympic Games meant to them.

“It’s not just about medals, but the competition, the commitment and the camaraderie that make the Olympics so special,” said Dallas Mayor Tom Leppert. “That’s why this special honor goes beyond Nastia’s achievements. It says a lot about who she is not only as a sportswoman but as a person, and it represents all she’s given to this country.”

The USOC announced in early 2009 that Liukin, who earned five medals at the 2008 Olympic Games, shared the annual award honor with swimmer Natalie Coughlin. Liukin is the third individual gymnast to win this award, joining Kim Zmeskal (1991) and Carly Patterson (2004). 

“There is no achievement in sport that compares to winning an Olympic gold medal,” said Steve Penny, USA Gymnastics President. “As an Olympic Champion and the all-around champion, Nastia enters a special class, and we couldn’t be prouder of her accomplishments.”

“It was a huge honor to receive this award,” Liukin said. “Becoming the Olympic all-around champion was a dream come true.”

Also in attendance at the Olympic Day celebration were 2007 Pan American gold-medalists Ivana Hong and Rebecca Bross, who train at WOGA Plano; Valeri Liukin, two-time Olympic gold medalist and Nastia Liukin’s coach; and Yevgeny Marchenko, who coached Patterson.

June 23 is an annual celebration of the Olympic movement worldwide and celebrates the birth of the modern Olympic Games and its founder, Pierre de Coubertin.

About Liukin and the USOC Sportswoman of the Year award
At the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing, Liukin’s total of five medals tied the U.S. gymnastics record for most medals in one Olympic Games, currently held by Mary Lou Retton (1984) and Shannon Miller (1992). Liukin’s medals are: gold – all-around; silver – team, balance beam and uneven bars; and bronze – floor exercise. Liukin is just the third U.S. woman to win the Olympic all-around crown. Earlier in 2008, Liukin won the all-around title at both the Tyson American Cup and the Pacific Rim Championships presented by Gillette Venus. She also was named the Women’s Sports Foundation’s 2008 Individual Sportswoman of the Year and the United States Sports Academy Female Athlete of the Year. Liukin and her teammates on the 2007 U.S. Women’s World Championships Team were selected as the 2007 U.S. Olympic Committee's Team of the Year. Liukin is coached by her father, Valeri, who has four Olympic medals from 1988, including two gold. She trains at WOGA.

Swimmer Michael Phelps, the U.S. Men’s National Volleyball Team and Paralympic swimmer Erin Popovich were chosen as the SportsMan, Team and Paralympian of the Year, respectively. Former gymnastics winners of USOC annual awards are: SportsWoman – Kim Zmeskal (1991) and Carly Patterson (2004); and Team – U.S. Women’s World Championships Teams (2003 and 2007).

The USOC SportsMan and SportsWoman of the Year awards have been presented annually since 1974 to the top overall male and female athlete from within the USOC member organizations. The team award was added in 1996 and the Paralympian of the Year was awarded for the first time in 2004. Winners are selected from the individual female and male athlete of the year and team of the year nominations of the USOC and National Governing Bodies for the Olympic, Pan American, Affiliated and Disabled Sports Organizations within the U.S. Olympic Movement.

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