PHILADELPHIA — Shawn Johnson might have looked nearly flawless at the U.S. Olympic Trials on Friday night, but it didn’t quite feel that way to her.
Dead solid, maybe, but not perfect.
“It’s not really what people see, but what I feel,” said the reigning world all-around champion from West Des Moines, Iowa. “I feel the perfect routines I do in practice. Out there, even if people can’t see it, I can feel the little balance checks, the little minor details. Those are the things I really want to work on and perform the next time.”
Johnson gave herself an 8 on a scale of one to 10 in terms of satisfaction, but it was good enough to put her in the lead after the first of two competition rounds here. Nastia Liukin of Parker, Texas, stands second.
Johnson had the best score in vault, balance beam and floor exercises; third-best in uneven bars. Liukin had the best score in uneven bars.
The second and final women’s session of the trials is Sunday, when Johnson is likely to clinch a spot on the Olympic team at age 16. Johnson has won every senior competition she has entered, except for the Tyson American Cup earlier this year when she finished second to Liukin.
“I don’t know if I let myself feel that it’s almost here, it’s real,” Johnson said of making the team for Beijing. “I don’t think I even let myself feel that this is Olympic Trials. I remember watching the Olympic Trials in ’04 and thinking, ‘Oh, my gosh, that’s the biggest meet of their lives.’ But I don’t believe that I’m even here. It’s just crazy how far things have gotten, and to know I’m so close to securing a spot on the team. I mean, pinch me, it feels like a dream.”
Liukin’s father and coach, Valeri, is a former Soviet gymnast. His daughter had a strong night, but the 2005 world championships all-around silver medalist made small mistakes on the uneven bars and balance beam.
“I think I’m on the right path leading to Beijing, but there’s definitely things I can improve upon,” said Liukin, 18. “Even if I had the best meet of my life, I’m sure I’ll pick something out that can be better. That’s the way I am. I think it comes from my dad. He’s a perfectionist and I know I get that from him.”
Sitting in third is Chellsie Memmel of West Allis, Wis., who edged Liukin for the 2005 world all-around title but has spent much of the interim coming back from injuries and surgeries. Memmel blew out her shoulder at the 2006 worlds and had surgery that November to rebuild it.
“I definitely don’t want to get ahead of myself, because there is still one more day of competition,” said Memmel, who turns 20 on Monday. I’m thrilled with how things went, but I’m not going to be all la-di-da. I still have to go to practice, train and focus (Saturday) and there’s one more day. I can’t lose focus now.”
The top two in the all-around results here automatically qualify for the Olympic team, with the remainder of the team being selected on discretion later at an Olympic selection camp.
John Meyer: 303-954-1616 or jmeyer@denverpost.com
