WACO, Texas, Nov. 15, 2016 – The Texas Sports Hall of Fame announced that 2008 Olympic all-around champion Nastia Liukin will be inducted into the 2017 Hall of Fame class Tuesday, Feb. 21, 2017, at the Waco Convention Center. The other 2017 inductees include Rita Buck-Crockett (volleyball), Dave Elmendorf (football), Pat Henry (track & field coach), Flo Hyman (volleyball), Eric Metcalf (track &football), Wade Phillips (NFL coach) and Darren Woodson (football).
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. Liukin’s Olympic medals are: gold – all-around; silver – team, balance beam and uneven bars; and bronze – floor exercise. Liukin was the third U.S. women to win the Olympic all-around crown. She also won nine World medals in her career, including four gold. In total, Liukin won 14 World and Olympic medals. In 2007, she helped Team USA win its first-ever World Championships team gold medal outside the United States. She was a four-time U.S. all-around champion, winning back-to-back junior titles (2003-04) and senior titles (2005-06). Today, Liukin lives in New York City and is a gymnastics analyst and Olympic correspondent for NBC Sports. When competing, she was coached by her father, Valeri Liukin, at WOGA Gymnastics in Plano, Texas.
The 2017 class will be honored Tuesday, Feb. 21, 2017 at 6 p.m. at the Waco Convention Center. A reception will be held at the Texas Sports Hall of Fame before the banquet at 4 p.m. Combination Reception/Banquet tickets are $200 each or $1,400 for a reserved table of eight. Banquet-only tickets can be purchased for $75 each, or $600 for a reserved table of eight. To purchase tickets, please call the museum at 800-567-9561 or visit http://www.tshof.org/buy-tickets/.