Nastia Liukin
© FIG Photo

HELSINKI, Finland, Oct. 27, 2008 – 2008 Olympic all-around champion Nastia Liukin of Parker, Texas, was named the International Gymnastics Federation’s Athlete of the Year, which was announced at the recent 77th FIG Congress in Helsinki, Finland.

At the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing, Liukin won a total of five medals, the most by any female gymnast in 2008, to tie the U.S. gymnastics record for most medals in one Olympics, 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.