Published: June 6, 2008
BOSTON — Dressed in a tangerine-colored leotard with the initials “SJ” in rhinestones on her right shoulder, Shawn Johnson sparkled Thursday in more ways than one at the United States gymnastics nationals.

In the first of a two-day competition here, Johnson — who stands only 4 feet 9 inches — proved why she is a favorite to win the all-around at the Beijing Olympics. She led the field of 22 women competing at Boston University’s Agganis Arena, finishing first in the vault and the floor exercise. She is in first over all, scoring 63.450 points.

Nastia Liukin, who is Johnson’s biggest competition in the all-around, is second, with 62.300 points. Liukin finished first in the uneven bars and the balance beam, scoring a career-high 17.050 on her routine on the bars.

But it was not enough to catch Johnson.

“I think everybody wants to win here, but that’s not the most important thing for me right now,” Johnson said. “I’m trying to look ahead to Beijing, so I can be ready there.”

She added: “It might look like you feel pretty good out there, but there’s always something you can fix.”

Johnson and Liukin are virtually sure bets to make the United States Olympic team for the Games in August. The other gymnasts will have to work much harder.

The top 12 finishers in the all-around here, based on a two-day total from these nationals, which end Saturday, earn automatic berths to the Olympic gymnastics trials held June 19-22 in Philadelphia. Several other gymnasts will also be invited to compete in the trials, said Martha Karolyi, the women’s national team coordinator.

Those gymnasts, among them Alicia Sacramone or Bridget Sloan, did not compete in all four events here, but could be useful to the team in individual events at the Olympics, Karolyi said. Though they will not finish in the top 12 at the nationals, they will still be invited to the trials.

Sacramone, a fan favorite here because she is from nearby Winchester, Mass., competed in all the events but uneven bars. She was second in the vault and in the floor exercise. The screams of hundreds of young girls echoed through the arena each time her name was announced.

“We weren’t perfect today, but you’re not supposed to be perfect today,” Mihai Brestyan, her coach, said. “If you are perfect too soon, you get bored. We know from experience that you have to be perfect at the right time, and that’s at the Olympics. We have two months to get better.”

The top two all-around finishers at the trials are assured spots on the six-member Olympic team, but the other four gymnasts will be chosen at a camp in late July. Two or three gymnasts will be named alternates to the team headed to Beijing.

Come July, Karolyi and the others on the selection committee will face a difficult task. The pool of athletes good enough to make the Olympic team deeper and more talented than ever, with Johnson and Liukin leading the way.

Last year, the American women won the team competition at the world championships in Stuttgart, Germany, beating out the Chinese. And many gymnasts here have impressive résumés, including Chellsie Memmel, the 2005 world all-around champion and an alternate to the 2004 Olympic team.

Memmel, who was not on last year’s world championship team because of an injury, finished third in the all-around Thursday, with a score of 61.050.

“I proved a lot to myself tonight,” Memmel said. “To show people that I can still have those kind of performances, that’s a big deal.”

Notes

Shayla Worley, a member of last year’s world championship team, pulled out of the nationals with a back injury. She will petition the USA Gymnastics selection committee to compete in the Olympic trials. ... Ashley Priess, who was on the world championship team in 2006, announced her retirement from elite gymnastics. Priess, from Hamilton, Ohio, plans to attend college.