COMFORT: Shawn Johnson (r.) – as solid a teammate as she is a performer – consoles US captain Alicia Sacramone, whose major errors in the women's team final put a gold medal out of reach. (Dylan Martinez/Reuters)
Amid US gymnastics disappointment, Shawn Johnson’s grace
Mark Sappenfield | 08.13.08
When the women’s gymnastics team competition was all but over, save China’s final turn on the floor – when American team captain Alicia Sacramone no longer had anything to distract her from the mistakes that had made a gold medal impossible, Shawn Johnson sat beside her.
In the battle of the world’s two best teams, China would win. The US, who had promised so much, would be silver medalists.
Sacramone looked as though she was on the edge of a cliff, holding back that inevitable moment when the disappointment in her falls on floor and beam would overwhelm her and plunge her headlong into tears.
But Johnson smiled that smile that comes so easily for her, and took Sacramone’s arm in hers, almost as if they were an old married couple on a park bench. For a moment, however briefly, Sacramone smiled, too.
No matter what Johnson does in two days’ time on the women’s all-around competition, I hope the world will remember that image – of a 16-year-old girl who is not only an extraordinary athlete, but also something altogether more profound and worthy of celebration: an uncommon human being.
“She is a very loving person,” says her coach, Liang Chow. “That shows in her gymnastics.”
To imagine that Johnson could ever blame her captain for preventing her from being the Michael Phelps of women’s gymnastics is not to understand who she is. Before today, it was by no means inconceivable that Johnson could have won four golds: in the team event, the all-around, and the floor and beam individual events.
But she knows, as does the entire team, that without Sacramone, they would not have won the world championship last year. After a shaky rotation on beam then, Sacramone gathered the team together – in a huddle as gymnasts often do – but this time, very clearly under her wing. On that day, the floor event was flawless and America was world champions.
Today, the result was different. Johnson was not.
“We love her no matter what,” she says.
These sorts of things are said every day at the Olympic Games. Often they are honest, sometimes they are not. With Johnson, there is no doubting.
Much has been made of the age of the Chinese gymnasts. We know Shawn Johnson is 16. But she is so much older than that, too.
At a pre-Olympics press gathering in Houston, she is one of the girls. There is chatter about her upcoming high school prom, and the dress she will wear. Yet there is something in her answers, something in the calmness so obviously apparent – either on the beam or in front of a microphone – that seems almost like wisdom.
Upon arriving in Beijing, she is asked her impressions. At the beginning of perhaps the greatest moment in her athletic life, her thoughts turn not to herself – to fear or excitement – but to her coach, who is from Beijing.
“It was really cool to be in Beijing airport and to hear him speak Chinese,” she says, beaming.
What she says next, she says with such earnestness it makes the heart melt: “It means I worked hard enough to get him back to his hometown.”
When Chow hears her say something like this, which she does often, his face softens, no longer the coach. In Houston, he needed a moment to compose himself. “When she says that, it makes me emotional,” he said. “She’s such a sweetheart.”
That she is even here in Beijing is a testament to her uniqueness. While many of her teammates have fathers and mothers as coaches, pushing them, she has parents that, at times, have sought to hold her back, not wanting their daughter to be warped by pressures that they cannot even imagine.
But there is an inner iron in their girl more often associated with swimmers and basketball players so muscle-bound that they could lift her like a barbell. “She is a very strong person, both physically and mentally,” says Chow.
And there is no doubting how she became so. At the first gymnastics press conference in Beijing, she explains what excites her about being here.
“It is great to be here with all these athletes who work so hard.”
She explains what it is like having Nastia Liukin, perhaps the world’s second-best gymnast and her top competition in the all-around, on the same team.
“It makes me motivated to go home and work ever harder.”
Chow explains how she behaves in practice.
“She just wants to get her work done – boom, boom, boom,” he laughs.
For other athletes, it could sound like something you might read on an inspirational framed picture: WORK ETHIC. Pat. Boilerplate. With Johnson, she is the picture itself, every automatic routine evidence of what hard work can accomplish.
There is something almost inconceivable in this – a 16 year old with such determination, all of it her own. And yet, alongside a hunger that most often seems linked to a chest-thumping, self-promoting bravado – that seems inextricable from it – there is the girl who sat beside her captain, speaking words of comfort and love in the moment when they were surely most desperately needed.
She was the mother, taking a loved one under her arm.
“She’s got a good little soul,” her mother, Teri, told Sports Illustrated.
No matter what her performance in the individual all-around Friday, perhaps nothing at these Games will be more precious than that one moment, when we all caught a glimpse of a young woman whose gifts stretch well beyond the world of sport.
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2. stephanie | 08.13.08
others may have won a gold medal, but shawn johnson IS pure gold!
congratulations to Mark Sappenfield for capturing the true essence of the evenings events.
3. Dave | 08.13.08
Mark,
Thanks for that wonderful article, and for having so eloquently expressed what I was feeling about this.
Alicia is so beautiful and great, and my heart broke for her last night.
I was also glad that the men’s US team did very well, and though they were understandably excited, their chest-thumping bravado was a lot lower on the dignity scale. But hey, I guess if you combine US brashness with lots of testosterone, that’s what you get!
Shawn’s amazing skills, uncanny composure, and concern for her team were only part of her inspiring story… although there are many great ones, I am more impressed by her than anyone else I’ve seen at the Games.
4. Lilith | 08.13.08
Thanks for the great news. Winning is never about the final results but the individual achievements which happen to show others power, grace and inspiration which in turn we can use for self reflection, motivation to meet our own challenges and succeed. It appears to me that true winning is about touching others to do and be better. Thanks to all the honest athletes around the world for what they are providing the world.
5. Jennifer | 08.13.08
Thank you for this wonderful story about Shawn. I think it’s rare to find a person who clearly has a big heart, but also the emotional control to perform in such a tough situation. She is truely gifted.
6. Don Scanlon | 08.13.08
What a refreshing story in a sports world so much concerned with performance enhancing drugs. Thanks to her and to the Monitor for printing the story.
7. Joan Donaldson | 08.13.08
Shawn Johnson was featured in a recent Guidepost article and I think that feature explains her faith that leads her as an athlete. Thank you for supplimenting that story with your touching words.
8. Dennis The Bald | 08.13.08
Shawn epitomizes all that we hope our children will take away from childhood athletics & sports. Well, Alicia does too. Even at 20 she’s still just a kid herself. Each girl gave it her best shot and I don’t see where anyone can say they’ve failed by finishing with silver. These girls represent us, and they did that well; they are surely the best of us.
We (particularly our daughters) could use more coverage of girls of this ilk and less of Jessica & Paris (not that the Monitor panders to that crowd much anyway).
9. iain | 08.13.08
You could also have mentioned her grace and sports(wo)manship after the contest…. One news site quotes her comments (I hope they got it right, because I didn’t see the interview)… “I respect China for what they’ve done,” Johnson said. “They really brought their game today.” Nice to hear genuine appreciation and respect for her opponents…
10. James | 08.13.08
Greetings,
I’m glad I’m not the only one who was taken by Shawn’s heartfelt thoughtfulness for her team-mate’s distraught emotional state.
I’d recorded the Olympics’ coverage overnight (it occurs at night here in the UK) and replayed it the following day.
I’ve kept replaying that part of the gymnastics’ coverage - from the point where, in between being congratulated by her coaches and other members of the team, she keeps glancing down at Sacramone as the latter sits in front of her looking disconsolate. (This was just before she sat down beside Alicia and linked arms with her.)
Her thoughts were clearly already more on Alicia than the congratulations she was receiving from all-and-sundry for the near-flawless performance in her own floor routine.
When she does sit down and links arms with her, one can see from the look on her face - much as the photo above shows - how much she cares about Alicia’s distressed emotions. Indeed, at one point, Anastasia taps her and tells her something - Shawn turns to her, nods … and turns back to Alicia as if whatever she’s told is clearly of no importance compared to Alicia’s distress.
I’ve been wondering what Shawn said to her(!) - I know Alicia says “No” to one of her questions (one can hear that quite clearly over the noise in the hall which otherwise drowns out everything else), but I don’t know what Shawn was saying, nor what she said to make her smile, and indeed, almost laugh.
That part of the coverage was, visually, a very beautiful sequence - I found myself deeply touched by it.
The Chinese, as a culture, are very much group-oriented - the team and country are what matters - which is why it was so important to them to win both the men’s and women’s team events.
For a country which champions the individual over the group, as the US does, it is wonderful to see a individual display such love and concern for a team-mate.
The US are fortunate to have someone like her on their team!
Kindest regards,
James
(A Irishman in the UK)
11. Dave | 08.14.08
Shawn Johnson strikes me as a very centered, kind, and — as you pointed out, Mark Sappenfield — gracious young women. Of course, she’s also an extremely talented athlete, and it’s a thrill to watch her compete. But I was just as captivated by what Shawn did on the sidelines last night as I was by her routines. Amid all the pressure to attain athletic perfection, and despite all the self-focus required to attain it, Shawn turned her attention and her heart to a teammate who clearly felt horrible. The look in Shawn’s eyes in the accompanying photo conveys something deeper than the usual “can’t win ‘em all” consolation. It says, “You’re going to be all right.” Wow. What a generous spirit. Thank you, Mark (and Reuters photographer Dylan Martinez), for picking up on that moment, and thank you, CSM, for publishing this story.
12. Marieke | 08.14.08
in answer to Jame’s question about what Shawn said to Alicia..
She turned to Alicia and asked her “Were you mad at me when I messed up at World’s last year?” (Shawn fell off beam)
Alicia said “No”. Shawn responded by saying, “Well, we’re not mad at you now.”
I read this in another article about Shawn/Alicia/Team Silver.
14. James | 08.14.08
Greetings,
Indeed, thank you, Marieke!
Although, from the NY Times online article, that appears to have occurred after the event when the team were in a room together.
Now, we just have to find out what she said to make Alicia smile! ;D
Kindest regards,
James
16. Maranda | 08.15.08
Hey Shawn. you r sooooooooooooooooooooo awesome i watched you during the all round you were amazing!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I really want to be in gymnastics but my mom wont let me. i love gymnastics soooo much. convince her to let me do gymnastics. oh and im 13 years old. i was in gymnastics for 4 years untill my mom made me quit.
U ROCK SHAWN!!!!!!<3
17. Chris | 08.15.08
i appreciate the sport of gymnastics very much. i saw Shawn Johnson tonight and she is absolutely amazing. however, she needs to work on her landing. she could acquire much more points if she improves on that
check out my blog that reviews the US basketball olympic game vs Greece
http://hamexpress.net/2008/08/14/redeem-team-beats-greece/
20. P. Serrano | 08.15.08
Shawn Johnson is the only reason I’m even watching the Olympics this year - special atlete, special young women.. god bless her.
21. randy armstrong | 08.15.08
She just makes me smile every time I see her on TV. This article is right on. She is by my favourite Olympian by far, and I like them all.
I don’t care what the judges say, if I could, I would give her every gold medal there is. I think they scored her too low - maybe because she was the favourite - who knows?
Thank you Shawn !! and continued good luck. You beat my countries best gymnasts, but you were a joy to watch.
22. Keith | 08.15.08
Thanks for this nice piece. It’s important to note something here, though: you did a good job with the math on your Nastia vs. Shawn article, so note it from the team finals too.
If Alicia had not fallen at all and had fact excelled and tied the best score on her team from the beam and the floor, she would have had 1.075 more points in each, or 2.15 points more overall. However, the US lost by more than that, so those falls didn’t land them in second place - they were already headed there. Still a great showing by the US with more to come!
23. Daniel | 08.15.08
Thanks for this amazing article!!! I know I saw it and was really touched when she did it…Shawn is a true superstar…Inside and out…
24. Lee | 08.15.08
I was thrilled by Nastia Liukin’s flawless performance last night, but my heart broke for Shawn. If the judges had given the edge to athleticism, as they have in the past - what was up with Shawn’s low score on balance beam?? - it might have been an even closer contest. Sad for her, but completely impressed by her grace under pressure and disappointment, I found your article while disconsolately searching the Web for Shawn news. It made me cry, but tears of joy at this remarkable, tiny human being with the gigantic heart. I’d love to know exactly what she and Alicia said, and am glad that I’m not the only fan who saw that and melted. Thanks for this inspiring articl - I hope you’ll send it to Shawn herself, so that she knows how much the world admires her, for even more than her incredible talents as a gymnast. Can’t wait to see her in the event finals!
25. Melissa Gulick | 08.15.08
This Article was Beautiful. Thank You for your talent in writing.
Shawn is amazing, and it’s true..She has such a level of Sportsmanship, that every Athlete in the world should display. What makes Shawn so special is that everything she says and does comes straight from her Heart.
I Live in Newton,Iowa not too far from Shawn, and I can’t wait for her to come home, to The Part of the country that until now, was only known by Myself, a Native New Yorker as the First Caucus state, and the Worlds biggest corn Field. Now we Iowans have a Remarkable young Lady with whom the State can be Represented by. Thank You Shawn!
Good Luck on Floor Excercise and Balance Beam!
26. TJ | 08.15.08
Shawn Johnson is the reason why im watching the gymnastics in the Olympics because she is smokin hot
30. austin | 08.18.08
this is a great article. she is an amazing person. i think its awesome that she could do that for her team-mate because honestly most people wouldnt do that for one of there team-mates. thats amazing
36. Dany | 08.18.08
yea the artilce waz cool but i just have 2 say this ALICIA SACRAMONE IS SO EFFIN HOT there i sed it shawn jonshon is so great nd iz athletic well i think alicia deserved gold yesterday not the korean or th effin german man lol i love you alicia
38. nick | 08.18.08
hey shawn you defintly deserve the gold on the floor.but sometimes it freakin sucks huh.
40. mg | 08.19.08
i love you Shawn ! i watch you evry day, and I love your smile. i’m a gymnast from Norway, and you are my biggest fan
41. nick | 08.19.08
you were AWESOME on the beamand that is solid GOLD!!!!!!!your by far my in the olympics
42. Korey | 08.19.08
you are so cool . you have done so good in all you events and you are so fine lol
43. yohan | 08.19.08
t’amo shawn johnson eres una chica ermosa
i love you shaw johnson are one beautiful girls
45. Greg | 08.20.08
I was SO happy to see this piece because it gave me a chance to say what I’ve been telling friends for a few days now! I’ve been telling them about this remarkable girl, just 16 years old, who has shown incredible poise, sportsmanship, and composure in the face of adversity; and it is a testament to her skill/potential that silver medals would be considered ‘adversity’!
I was so happy to see her win the gold last night on the beam! Watching her on the award platform, I couldn’t help but think that she may very well represent the best possible picture of an American athlete - strength (on all levels), perseverance, and all the things mentioned above, along with ‘all-American girl next door cuteness’!
Congratulations Shawn! You made this country proud!
46. MW | 08.20.08
thanks for this article on Shawn. like some of these others who have commented, i too have been so impressed by her on a personal level, so many times during the games. she is making not only her parents, but also her country very proud. she embodies a spirit / classiness that i think we all desire.
48. Clayton | 08.20.08
shawn you rock and you are beautiful…i would love to meet you…my cell is 832-655-7820 and my email is sirclaytonthemighty@gmail.com…=D
50. Clayton | 08.20.08
and as numerous poeple above^^have mentioned, i am thoroughly impressed with the way you have performed in these games…and way congratulations on your gold last night…i saw it and you owned them all…nice again…=D
51. Clayton | 08.20.08
ok i messed that up…i was gonna say “and way to go on your gold last night”, but i beackspaced it and meant to put “congratz on your gold”, but i forgot to erase the “way”…sorry for any inconvenience…again my digits are 832-655-7820 and my email is sirclaytonthemighty@gmail.com…thx and have a nice day -.-
52. nick | 08.21.08
your were AWESOME in the olympics 3 SILVERS 1 GOLD !!!!!!!!! thats freakin AWESOME. i think you are the best gymnist I have ever seen in my life! I hope we meet someday! you are so pretty!!!
53. nick | 08.21.08
You are the most cutiest gymnist ever!! You are awesome at the balence beam! you are the best!!
54. Brett | 08.21.08
I watched Shawn Johnson as she performed and there was something in her eyes that showed disciplined strength and love that came through the TV screen.It is something difficult to describe but you feel it. I am from the Bahamas and she displayed a unique quality that you very rarely see. I wish her all the best in her endeavours. She is a jewel. brettj70@gmail.com
56. alec | 08.23.08
I love this articule, I never knew Shawn before this games and it doesnt matter if Nastia took the all around, Shawn is the IT girl to me. she has a quality to herself that shines, the girl is just lovable, u can tell is not greed what dirves her but a sincere love for the game, something we not often see anymore. I will hopefully go to see her in Phoenix, AZ. when the tour begins, GO SHAWN.
57. Manuel Munguia | 08.24.08
Thank’s to the wonderful Gymnastic womans’s Team USA! you girls did the best effort ever! Shawn J. Nastia, Alicia! and all of you girls that made us feel proud of all of you girls! i’m very sure that every body feels the same! nothing else to say! But Thank you! the best for you!
58. Dick Tafalla | 08.25.08
If they gave Gold Medals for style, class and smiles, you would have won them all !!!! Congratulations Shawn !!! Our Best young lady !!!
59. raul | 08.26.08
este articulo es muy bueno y quiero decirte shawn que eres una mujer muy hermosa y si puedes dame tu correo tambien quiero decirte que tienes una sonrisa muy pero muy hermosa
60. viva mexico | 08.28.08
ESTADOS UNIDOS VA PROBAR EL CHILE NACIONAL*!!!*SHAWN ESTAS BN SABROSAAAAA!! BIEN RICA!!! PEROOO LOS DE ESTADOS UNIDOSSS SUN PUTOSS!!!!!!!!!!
62. Chelsea | 09.09.08
america loves you, shawn johnson!! you really are an amazing person. you’re still the best gymnast in the world, too 
i like nastia, but she doesn’t compare to you!!
65. Brianna | 10.16.08
Heyy Marieke (#12) where did u find the article that she said that, bc I cant find where Johnson said that thing to Alicia after she fell and I really want to read it.
66. madison | 11.02.08
Shawn is my favorite athlete! I do gymanstics too and i am not as good as you . i am in level 5 when ur like in level 100 or something i am just kidding it cant go up that high. well i hope you will write back to me sometiem. i am going to try to find sometime to write u a buisseness letter. but for now cya later
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1. Frank Kochey | 08.13.08
I find it heartwarming, but not surprising, that the Christian Science Monitor would print an article on the love and grace of gymnast, Shawn Johnson. That this would be noticed and published is a laudable testament to the Monitor and its reporters.
Thank you for including it.