Athletes - Nastia Liukin

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	Athletes - Nastia Liukin

Anastasia 'Nastia' Liukin (born October 30, 1989, Moscow, Russia) is an American gymnast. She trains at the World Olympic Gymnastics Academy (WOGA) in Plano, Texas and is coached by her father, former Soviet champion gymnast and 1988 Olympic gold medalist Valeri Liukin. Nastia's mother, Anna Kotchneva was the 1987 World Champion in rhythmic gymnastics.

Nastia competed in her first national championships as a junior in 2002. While her WOGA teammates Carly Patterson and Hollie Vise finished first and second, Liukin suffered a fall on the uneven bars, finished 15th and barely eked onto the US National Team. However, in 2003 she became the Junior National Champion and won event final gold medals on the uneven bars, balance beam and floor exercise. She would repeat these accomplishments in 2004. Liukin was a member of the gold-medal winning US team at the 2003 Pam Am Games; she took second place in the all-around behind fellow American Chellsie Memmel. She also won the all-around in the junior division of the 2004 Pacific Alliance Championships. Born in 1989, Nastia was not age-eligible for the 2004 Olympics in Athens.

In 2005, Nastia won her first senior National Championships. At the 2005 World Championships in Melbourne, Nastia was ranked first in the all-around after the preliminary competition. However, in the finals she finished second to teammate Chellsie Memmel. Memmel's final score was 37.824; Liukin's was 37.823; the competition was the closest in gymnastics history. Liukin rallied in event finals to win the gold on the uneven bars and balance beam and the silver on the floor exercise.

Liukin is currently an active member of the USA national gymnastics team; at her most recent competition, the 2006 American Cup in March, she placed first. She has also made appearances in film and television, appearing in a commerical for Adidas with Nadia Comaneci and the April 2006 Disney film "Stick It."

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Athletes - Nastia Liukin

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