Shawn Machel Johnson was born in Des Moines, Iowa on January 19, 1992. She is the daughter of Teri and Doug. She began gymnastics at the age of three. She has trained at Chow's Gymnastics for almost all of her career. Her favorite events are beam and bars.

In 2003, Shawn competed at the Level 9 Western Championships. This is the highest competition a level nine can attend. She placed first on beam! Shawn was also fifteenth all-around. She moved up to level ten for the 2004 season. At the JO National Championships, Shawn placed fourth on vault and in the all-around! She was first on beam and second on floor as well. In 2005, she moved up to gymnastics' biggest stage, the elite level. She showed she was on top at her first very first meet. At the US Classic, Shawn finished third all-around! At Nationals, she suffered some falls that kept her down in the standings. She still made her first national team! In the fall, Shawn travelled to Belgium for the Top Gym Competition. Shawn won the all-around title!

Shawn's 2006 season was awesome! She started the season by winning the all-around, vault and beam title at the USA versus Japan and New Zealand. She followed that performance at the Gymnix International in Canada. Although Shawn only finished third all-around, she finished first on floor and second on vault! Her next meet was the Pacific Alliance Championships. Shawn performed like a seasoned veteran. She finished first all-around! Besides her all-around crown, she finished first on vault and on floor. She took home the silver for her beam performance. A few months later, Shawn won the all-around title at the US Classic. This was her first elite domestic win. She placed first on floor. Shawn was second on vault and third on bars and beam. She established herself as a threat for the national title. At Nationals, Shawn outscored all of the junior and senior competitors! She became the junior national all-around, vault, beam and floor champion! Shawn was second on bars. A week later, she won the all-around title at the Pan American Games. Shawn finished first on beam and second on floor.

Her success continued as a senior in 2007. She began the year by winning the American Cup. She followed this performance by helping the United States defeat Great Britain in a dual meet. Individually, she took first in the all-around and on beam. She finished second on vault. A few months later Shawn competed at the Pan American Games in Rio de Janeiro. She assisted the United States team to first place. She also won the all-around, bars and beam. She finished second on floor to teammate Rebecca Bross. After a few weeks off she took home her first senior national title at the US National Championships in San Jose, California. In addition to the all-around, she won beam and floor. Shawn ended her season at the World Championships. Along with the team gold, she took home the gold in the all-around and on floor. She also qualified to the balance beam finals. She received the Logines Prize for Elegance after the competition.

2008 was the Olympic Year. She began her season by finishing second at the American Cup after falling on her first event, vault. She won the all-around in a four way meet against Italy, Spain and Poland. She defended her US National Title in Boston. She also won national titles on floor. At the Olympic Trials, Shawn continued to remain in first place. She led the field on beam and floor while being the second best vaulter. At the Olympic Games, Shawn helped the United States to a second place finish. She then took second in the all-around competition to Nastia Liukin. She also finished second in the floor finals. The last competition of the gymnastics portion of the games was balance beam. She won her first gold medal.

Since the Olympics, Shawn has enjoyed many opportunities. In August, she led the Pledge of Allegiance at the Democratic National Convention. She made a cameo on The Secret Life of the American Teenage on September 9, 2008. During the fall, she participated on The Tour of Gymnastics Superstars. In February of 2009, Shawn began as a celebrity competitor on Dancing With the Stars. Along with her partner Mark Ballas, she won the competition.

Fast Facts Name: Shawn Johnson Birthday: Jan. 19, 1992 Club: Chow's Level: Sr. Int'l Elite Official Website

MAJOR ACHIEVEMENTS 2006-2008: US National Champion 2008: Olympics- 2nd TM, AA, FX, 1st BB 2007: Worlds- 1st AA, TM, FX 2006: US Classic Champion 2006: Pacific Alliance Champion 2005: Top Gym Champion 2005: US National Team 2004: JO National Team 2003: L9 Western Beam Champion

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Photos © Lloyd Smith