Johnson's national title secures USA TODAY honor
6/10/2008

By Dan Friedell, USA TODAY

Few events each season mimic the anticipation and pressure of the Olympics for the elite athlete. There are track meets, swim invitationals and other events that demand their time, but in an Olympic year, there are events like trials and national championships that require an athlete to perform his or her best with little room for error.

American gymnasts know that event is a couple of weeks away in Philadelphia. But just to get to Philadelphia, Shawn Johnson needed a strong result at the Visa Championships last weekend in Boston, and she delivered. The petite Iowan won the all-around national title for the second straight year, and in the process, earned USA TODAY's Olympic Athlete of the Week award.

Johnson edged out chief American competitor Nastia Liukin by one point. The duo will be joined by 10 other finalists in the Philadelphia meet where they will compete for two automatic spots on the Olympic team in Beijing. Four other members of the team will be named at the conclusion of a pre-Olympic camp in late July.