International Capsules: Phelps shares spotlight with suits at worlds

ROME — Michael Phelps will have to share the spotlight at these world championships. Those sleek-but-soon-to-be-obsolete bodysuits are having their last hurrah.

Now that FINA has decided to ban high-tech suits that cover most of the body beginning in 2010, the Foro Italico will likely be remembered as the spot where one last great assault on the record book took place.

Every time figures to be under fire as swimmers wearing rubberized suits that increase buoyancy and improve stamina take aim with added urgency, knowing that whatever comes out of the Eternal City figures to be rather enduring once the guys go back to jammers (suits that only go from the waist to the top of the knee) and the women can’t wears suits beyond the shoulders or below the knees.

"That’s a little extreme," American sprint specialist Cullen Jones said. "Wow, it’s really down to the swimmer now."

Not yet. The new rules governing suits — which will also require they be made from textile fabrics — still must be sorted out and won’t go into effect until next year. And this is the biggest meet outside the Olympics, with everyone setting up their training to peak over the next eight days.

Phelps shrugged off the all the hype about the current generation of suits, which has been pointed to as major reason more than 100 world records were set last year and nearly 30 have fallen already in 2009, finally prompting the governing body to step in.

"When you’re competing at the highest levels, it’s because of the work you do in training," Phelps said. "That’s how I always looked at it growing up, and that’s how I’ll continue to do it now. I’ve worked as hard as I can. I’m where I’m at right now because I put in countless hours, because I put in all that time looking at the black line (on the bottom of the pool) every day, up and down.

"I’m not here to talk about suits. I’m here to compete in the world championships. That’s my focus. I’ve got times I want to achieve over the next week. That’s all I’m focused on."

He has cut back on the eight-event program that produced six gold medals at the 2004 Athens Olympics, seven wins at the 2007 world championships in Melbourne and a record eight gold medals at the Beijing Olympics last summer, breaking Mark Spitz’s iconic record.

Phelps won’t be swimming either the 200- or the 400-meter individual medley, dropping those grueling races after winning them both in China with world-record times. He’ll have three individual events in Rome — the 200 freestyle, along with the 100 and 200 butterfly — and be part of all three relay teams as well. But he’ll actually have entire day off in the middle of the meet.

Gasp!

First up Sunday: a rematch of that thrilling Olympic showdown with the French in the 400 free relay, a race the Americans pulled out when Jason Lezak overtook Alain Bernard in the final 15 meters to win by 0.08 seconds.

The U.S. won’t have Lezak for this one; he chose to skip the world championships to compete at Israel’s Maccabiah Games in tribute to his Jewish heritage.

But he’ll be tuning in Sunday to see how his former teammates do against the French, especially with someone else in the anchor role that Lezak held down for years on the national team.

"Looking forward to it," Lezak said in a text message to The Associated Press. "Even though the French are favorites again, I think it will be a good race."

Bob Bowman, who is coaching the American team and also serves as Phelps’ personal coach, wouldn’t reveal his plans for the relay, though it’s generally assumed Phelps will maintain his usual role as the leadoff swimmer instead of switching to the anchor leg as Lezak’s replacement.

When asked Saturday at the final American practice whether he had considered moving Phelps from beginning to end, Bowman smiled and said coyly, "I have given it some thought."

But even the world’s greatest swimmer would have a hard time replacing Lezak, who will long be remembered for overcoming a seemingly insurmountable margin when he dove into the pool against Bernard, a former world record holder in the 100 free. Lezak smartly drafted along the lane rope in Bernard’s massive wake and overcame him at the finish with the fastest relay leg in history.

"He was huge for us," Bowman said. "We all know Jason had a history of putting up great relay splits under pressure."

The French would love to get back at the Americans, but this isn’t the Olympics.

"Even if the Americans are beaten, that will not be revenge for what happened last year," French coach Lionel Horter told the newspaper L’Equipe. "Any revenge can only come at the 2012 Olympics,"

Lezak plans to be there waiting for them, hopefully in that familiar anchor leg at age 36.

"Even the Beatles went their own way eventually!" he joked in a text. "My goal is to have the reunion tour in London 2012."

That won’t help the Americans at this meet. The French can send out an imposing lineup led by Fred Bousquet (second-fastest time ever at 47.15) and Bernard (third-fastest at 47.20), and filled out by the likes of Amaury Leveaux, William Meynard and Fabian Gilot — all of whom have broken 48 seconds.

By comparison, the Americans counter with a potential lineup that includes only two swimmers, Phelps and Garrett Weber-Gale, who’ve gotten into the 47s. Also in the mix for the Americans are Nathan Adrian and David Walters, who went 1-2 in the final of the 100 free at the U.S. championships this month. An intriguing option is all-around star Ryan Lochte, who got in the mix by putting up a strong time in the preliminaries at Indianapolis.

"I believe it’s going to be a competitive race," Bowman said. "My main concern is to make sure the anchor leg is important. If we’re too far back, it’s not going to matter."

Phelps looking forward to facing Shaq in the pool

ROME — Michael Phelps already took down Mark Spitz. The record-breaking Olympian can’t wait to take on Shaq.

Phelps, who broke Spitz’s record by winning eight gold medals at the Beijing Games, said he jumped at the chance to take part in Shaquille O’Neal’s new reality TV show "Shaq Vs.," in which the 15-time All-Star center will challenge top athletes in their respective sports.

During one episode in the show, which debuts on Aug. 18 on ABC, Shaq will swim against Phelps. O’Neal gets to negotiate a handicap with his opponents and train with a coach for one week leading up to each challenge.

"We haven’t really decided on anything final yet — how far, how long, how big a head start I will have to give him,"’ Phelps said before the world championships, which begin Sunday. "To be able to swim with a 7-foot-2, 300-pound man will be absolutely awesome. When I was asked to do it, I quickly said, ‘Yes."’

Phelps’ coach Bob Bowman said he’ll be "coaching Shaq up a little bit."

"We’re sewing together three suits and wrapping him up in it," Bowman quipped.

Speedo not happy with FINA ruling on suits

ROME — Speedo, the company that launched the assault on swimming worlds records with its revolutionary LZR Racer suit, blasted the sport’s governing body Saturday for its decision to ban high-tech bodysuits.

FINA ruled Friday that males will be restricted to suits that run from the waist to the knees (known as jammers) and females to suits that can’t go past the shoulders or below the knees.

Speedo, which sponsors prominent teams such as the United States, Australia and Britain, accused FINA of making a rash decision that will ultimately harm the sport.

"As a forward thinking company that has invested millions in (research and development), we believe that technology — properly monitored and adhering to guidelines — does have a place in all sport," the company said in a statement. "Any move which seems to take the sport back two decades — such as a possible return to the traditional female swimsuit and male jammer — is a retrograde step that could be detrimental to the future of swimming."

Speedo’s suit was worn by most swimmers involved in more than 100 records set in 2008. Since then, polyurethane suits made by companies such as Jaked have surpassed the LZR, with nearly 30 more records falling this year. Finally, FINA decided to impose restrictions that supporters say are needed to maintain the integrity of the sport.

Speedo said its suit should not be lumped in with so-called rubberized suits that are thought to aid buoyancy.

"We recognize the catastrophic effect and controversy that the introduction of fully nonpermeable wetsuits by certain manufacturers has had on the sport of swimming in recent months," the statement said. "Speedo has always believed that there is no place in the sport for buoyancy aids."

The company said its suit has helped boost the popularity and profile of swimming.

"The Speedo LZR Racer suit, which was developed in strict accordance with FINA rules and regulations and fully approved by FINA in 2007, has had an unprecedented positive impact on the sport of swimming since its launch," Speedo said. "Developed over a three year period with the input of over 400 swimmers, coaches and experts, the swimming community by and large welcomed the benefits the suit brings whilst recognizing that it upheld the integrity of athletes as it does not aid buoyancy.

"For over 80 years, we have taken a lead role in supporting the sport from grassroots all the way to elite levels. We have been responsible for every major ‘legal’ innovation in swimwear since 1928. Speedo remains totally dedicated to the sport of swimming at every level."

-- Paul Newberry

Swimming takes a stand against technology

The news out of Rome was startling, at least to swimming fans and those who salivate at the thought of seeing Michael Phelps in a Speedo brief again.

Records be damned, swimming is going retro.

Out with those sleek body suits. In with something, shall we say, a bit more comfortable?

If your thing is watching swimmers go faster than ever, tune in Sunday when the world championships begin in Rome. It’s probably going to be the last chance anyone has of setting a world record in the water for a long, long time.

That’s almost heresy in a sport where records are, indeed, made to be broken. Phelps smashed seven of them himself as he swam his way to eight gold medals in Beijing last year, and that was just part of more than 100 world records that fell in 2008.

Another 30 or so were broken this year, and even more are expected to be erased at the world championships. No use to print new record books because by the time they come out they’re already out of date.

But now swimming officials are taking a stand. They’re rolling back the clock beginning next year, stripping swimmers of the high-tech body suits that made them go so fast through water you swear little propellers had to be hidden inside.

It’s a bold move by swimming’s governing body, FINA, and it goes against the seemingly relentless quest for technological advancement in sports everywhere. It also carries a risk that it will alienate fans who are interested in swimming only when there’s a world record at stake.

Bottom line, though, is that it’s the right thing to do because the new suits introduced last year were making a mockery of the sport. World records were dropping so fast they were in danger of becoming as meaningless as Barry Bonds’ home run marks

Unlike baseball, though, swimming didn’t pretend it had no performance issues. Unlike baseball, it reacted before the numbers became too much of a joke.

And maybe it’s time for some other sports to, uh, follow suit.

Not baseball, necessarily, because its problems were mostly chemically induced. Football, too, because the ball and the field remain the same even while everyone naturally wonders how 300-pounders manage to run and react so fast.

Basketball? Well, that experiment with the 11-foot rim a few years back didn’t exactly raise the game, and neither did the NBA’s ill-fated synthetic ball.

But technology has changed some sports dramatically. If swimming officials needed any examples, all they had to do was look at tennis and golf, both of which did nothing while better equipment altered the very fundamentals of the game.

This year’s Wimbledon final between Roger Federer and Andy Roddick was billed as an epic affair that went long into overtime before Federer finally prevailed. But the only reason it lasted so long was the evolution of racket technology to a point where serves are so fast they rarely can be returned.

As an exhibition of serving, it was fine. But the greatest player of his time couldn’t break serve until the 77th and final game, a good example of how much tennis has become dominated by the serve, at least in the upper levels of the men’s game.

Golf has even more problems. The entry of Tiger Woods coincided with technological advances in both clubs and balls that has turned the sport into a playground for big bombers who no longer have to worry much about hitting it into the rough.

Golf equipment has been evolving since the day of hickory shafts and gutta percha balls, but huge-headed drivers and balls that refuse to do anything but go straight have taken much of the shotmaking out of the game. That’s one reason why, on a course that requires some creativity, Tom Watson nearly won the British Open at age 59.

The PGA Tour will put restrictions on iron grooves beginning next year in an attempt to bring more chance into the equation, but it’s too little and too late. Golf officials let manufacturers run amuck for too many years to be able now to return the game to anything resembling what it once was.

Swimming officials, on the other hand, acted relatively fast. They will lose only two years worth of records to the suits that made even mediocre swimmers record busters.

There will be some complaints from swimmers, of course. No one wants to go slower than before.

But what they did should eventually suit everyone just fine.

Tim Dahlberg is a national sports columnist for The Associated Press. Write to him at tdahlberg@ap.org

Americans look to reclaim glory on diving board

ROME — Thomas Finchum’s stomach was churning as he climbed to the top of the 10-meter tower for the last time on a scorching Italian day.

"I could see my heart beating," he said. "I was like, ‘Uh, oh, this is going to be close."’

In the past, Finchum — or any other American — might have blown the dive under that sort of pressure. On Saturday, he stepped out to the edge with partner David Boudia and calmly pulled off one that was good enough for a silver medal in synchronized platform, the final diving event of the world championships.

The clutch performance capped a comeback of sorts for the Americans in a sport they once dominated.

While still in no position to challenge the Chinese for superpower status, the U.S. won four silver medals during its nine days in Rome — the country’s best showing at worlds since 1991 and second on the medals chart.

Three of the medals came in synchro, where the odds of reaching the podium are much better (there are fewer entrants than the individual events) and where the Americans have pinned their hopes of rebuilding a program that failed to win a medal of any color at the last two Olympics.

"The U.S. is in an interesting position where it can fill two or three or four good teams in each event," said Steve Foley, a native Australian who now serves as high performance director for USA Diving. "Most countries can’t. They rely on one or two divers. If one of them gets injured, they’ve got nothing."

In Rome, Troy Dumais teamed with 16-year-old Kristian Ipsen to finish second in 3-meter synchro, and a pair of 16-year-olds, Haley Ishimatsu and Mary Beth Dunnichay, won silver in women’s 10-meter. Finchum and Boudia capped off the meet by winning a tight battle with teams from Cuba and Germany to finish second on the big tower, though far behind the winning Chinese team.

That was quite a change from Beijing, where the Americans put up some strong performances, but none quite good enough to get on the podium.

"We were definitely disappointed in Beijing about not winning any medals," Boudia said. "But you could tell that we were starting to dive better and better. In another 12 months, look how much we’ve improved. I’m looking forward a lot to the next three years."

The American had their second straight Olympic shutout in China, coming on the heels of a dismal showing in Athens four years earlier. It was an especially bitter pill to swallow for a country that once dominated the sport, producing Greg Louganis and a host of gold medalists before the Chinese took over as the dominant country in the 1990s.

"In Beijing, we didn’t quite get over the line," Foley said. "Now that we have that experience we seem to know how to get over the line. A perfect example was the men’s platform. That could have gone either way. But this time, we got silver instead of fourth. That’s one of those little things that happens with experience."

The Americans already bolstered their hopes by setting up national training centers and devising a more rigid selection process, which requires athletes to be able to perform the most difficult dives if they want to get on the national team.

Foley has put more emphasis on the synchronized events, believing it will bolster the medal haul and lead to improvement when a diver goes to the board alone.

"We need to play to our strengths, and it will then rub off on the other events," Foley said. "A good example was Troy Dumais. He got a silver in synchro, then he’s on a high and feeling confident when he goes out there and gets a silver in his individual. I just think they go hand in hand."

Certainly, the numbers are more favorable in synchro — especially at the Olympics, where only eight teams qualify in a finals-only format.

"You’ve got a 37.5 percent chance of a medal. We’re just being smart and targeting that," Foley said. "But we’ve got a lot of class divers. It’s just a matter of time before a couple of them step up and win individual medals."

Dumais, a three-time Olympian and oldest member of the team at 29, was the only U.S. diver to capture an individual medal at Beijing, finishing second on the 3-meter springboard. It’s clear the Americans still have a lot of room for improvement in those events.

Several divers — Ishimatsu, Brittany Viola, Terry Horner, Nick McCrory — failed to get past the preliminaries or semifinals when competing individually.

But even there, the Americans had cause to be encouraged. Boudia and Chris Colwill both had top-10 showings on the men’s side. Eighteen-year-old Ariel Rittenhouse was a surprising fifth in 3-meter, while Christina Loukas was eighth in both springboard events.

"The signs are there that it’s coming," Foley said. "We may see it happen in 2012."

He doesn’t want to set the bar too high, not after what happened at the last two Olympics.

"It does take time," Foley said. "What we need to do now is just go and get one, and then two, try to build back up. We don’t need to try to leap back up and get six medals’. I you try to get six, chances are you’ll get none. Aim small. Aim for one, and we might get two."

-- Paul Newberry

China wins 7th gold to wrap up diving

ROME — Huo Liang and Lin Yue have given China its seventh diving gold medal of the world championships, cruising to an easy win in men’s 10-meter synchro.

The Chinese duo led through all six rounds and finished with 482.58 points Saturday. David Boudia and Thomas Finchum of the United States took the silver medal with 456.84, edging out the Cubans. Jose Antonio Guerra Oliva and Jeinkler Ernesto Aguirre Manso won bronze with 456.60.

China earned seven golds, four silvers and three bronze in the 10 diving events — nearly more than every other nation combined. The United States, which hasn’t won a medal at the last two Olympics, had a promising showing with four silvers, ranking second to the Chinese in the medals chart.

Russia wraps up another dominating run in synchro

ROME — With an aquatic-themed performance, Russia wrapped up another dominating run at the synchronized swimming pool with a victory Saturday in team free, the final event of the world championships.

The Russians received a couple of 10s for artistic impression and nothing lower that 9.9 for a total of 99.167 points Saturday. They swam to Alveiro’s "Life of Sea," bouncing in and out of the water like dolphins at one point and kicking their legs in perfect sync to the music at the end of their routine.

"We are satisfied," Anastasia Davydova said. "We are not saying we are the best — it is just a matter of fact. The judges’ score proved it."

Perennial runner-up Spain, wearing skeleton suits to go along with their "Haunted House" music, received one 10 for artistic impression but settled for another silver at 98.167. China was third at 97.167.

The Russians won six of seven synchro events in Rome, matching their six golds from the 2007 worlds in Melbourne. They did not compete in free combination.

"We trained hard on our lifts the past two months," Davydova said. "We feared China and Spain. We felt more confident after the judges’ score, both in the technical merit and in the artistic impression. Now we will rest."

There wasn’t a whole lot of drama at the synchro pool, reinforcing the impression that judging is largely based on reputation instead of performance.

In addition to Russia winning gold in every event it entered, Spain took six silver medals, moving up to gold in the lone event the Russians skipped. China settled for four bronze medals, grabbed silver behind Spain in the free combination, and skipped the other two events.

While there were some complaints about the judging, everyone agreed the Russians were best in team free.

"We need more accuracy to reach the Russian team’s level," Spain’s Thais Henriquez said. "We tried to innovate as much as possible. The program is new and we worked on it just for a short time."

"Russia is faster than us in their movements," China coach Wang Jia added. "They also have better artistic impressions. We need to work on becoming faster and stronger."

Beyond those top three, the only other countries to get on the medal stand were Canada (two bronzes) and Italy (one bronze). Canada was fourth in four events, while Italy had two fourth-place showings and finished fifth three times.

The U.S., once a power in synchro, didn’t come close to the medal stand. The Americans took part in only three events and never finished higher than seventh, closing out with a ninth-place showing in team free.

-- Paul Newberry

Cleri wins host Italy’s 1st gold of swim worlds

ROME — Valerio Cleri won the men’s 25-kilometer open water race on Saturday, giving host Italy its first gold medal of the swimming world championships.

Swimming through large waves, Cleri pulled away from Australia’s Trent Grimsey in the final kilometer.

Cleri clocked a 5 hours, 26 minutes, 31.6 seconds in the sea course off Rome’s ancient port of Ostia.

Grimsey took the silver medal, 19.1 seconds behind, and Vladimir Dyatchin of Russia was third, nearly three minutes back, for his fifth medal at worlds.

Angela Maurer of Germany won the women’s race in 5:47:48. Anna Uvarova of Russia took silver, touching 3.8 seconds later, and Federica Vitale of Italy was third, 4.7 seconds back.

It was Maurer’s fourth medal at worlds, but her first gold.

At times, swimmers had to dive through high waves or risk being driven back to the beach. Boats bobbled up and down in the surf and many competitors removed their swim caps to deal with severe heat.

Alex Meyer of the United States received a red card and was disqualified for swimming over the legs of a female swimmer.

-- Andrew Dampf

U.S. women advance to quarterfinals of water polo

ROME — Heather Petri and Kelly Rulon scored three goals apiece, leading the United States to a 12-9 victory over China on Saturday and into the quarterfinals of women’s water polo at the world championships.

Jessica Steffens added two goals for the Americans at Foro Italico, offsetting five goals by China’s Gao Ao. The U.S. (3-1) will face Spain (2-0-1) on Monday.

Canada (3-0-1) advanced to the quarterfinals when Dominique Perreault scored times in a 13-7 win over Germany, setting up a matchup against powerhouse Hungary (3-0).

Christina Tsoukala scored in the final period with 4:55 remaining, leading Greece to a 10-9 victory over Italy. Stavroula Antonakou scored three goals and Maria Tsouri made 11 saves for Greece (2-2), which will face Australia in the next round. Mieke Cabout scored three goals to lead the Netherlands (3-0-1) past New Zealand 9-7. The Netherlands will face Russia in the quarterfinals.

Track & Field

Gay troubled by groin despite 200 win at London GP

LONDON — Tyson Gay didn’t look like a man preparing to end Usain Bolt’s sprinting supremacy at the world championships next month.

Limping and lethargic, Gay won the 200-meter race at the London Grand Prix in 20.00 seconds on Saturday. He then needed painkillers to deal with a groin injury and went straight from the track to a treatment room at the Crystal Palace.

Making the worlds in Berlin will be quite a challenge for Gay. The 26-year-old American remains confident, though, that he can defend his 100 and 200 world titles against Bolt, the Olympic champion and world record-holder.

Gay says he’s "taking it one day at a time.

"My groin has been tight on me, I’m trying to take a little Advil to run through the pain. Right now I’m running on faith and that’s more dangerous than anything. I don’t feel anything when I hear the gun. I just run and I’m dangerous.

"It’s after that I feel it."

Meanwhile, Bolt and his teammates ran the fourth-fastest 400-meter relay time in history — 37.46 seconds. Bolt anchored the team that included fellow Jamaicans Yohan Blake and Mario Forsythe, plus Antigua’s Daniel Bailey, representing the Kingston-based Racers Track Club.

In the 200, Gay overtook fellow American Wallace Spearmon on the bend and held a clear lead going into the straight, allowing him to relax in the final 30 meters.

"I didn’t get to warm up like I wanted to because of the (injury) situation," Gay said. "The way I slowed down it would definitely have been 19-something."

Gay’s motivation to make Berlin is the opportunity to reassert himself in the sport. Bolt established himself as the world’s fastest man with a series of astonishing performances at the Beijing Olympics last August, setting world records in the 100 and 200 while also being part of the Jamaica team that broke the world mark in the 400-meter relay.

A year earlier at the 2007 worlds in Osaka, it was Gay recording a clean sweep of those events. The Beijing plans, though, were stymied by a hamstring injury, and there’s a sense of history repeating itself for Gay.

"I’m just taking it one day at a time, it’s just frustrating. Any time a sprinter feels any type of nagging injury pain they get frustrated and the mind has to get strong again," Gay said. "I haven’t been training for a couple of weeks. I’ve been trying to keep under the radar, mentally I’m just trying to get through this groin situation I have but I should be OK."

Gay has run the fastest 200 in the world this year — 19.58 in New York in May. Bolt’s best this season is a 19.59 this month in Lausanne, Switzerland.

"I think he (Gay) has a lot of time to get over it," Bolt said. "So he should be ready."

The two were to compete in a 400 relay later Saturday, but Gay was advised to rest.

Gay will now go to Stockholm for Friday’s DN Galan meet. But first, that troublesome groin will receive medical attention.

"There’s not much treatment I can have for it," Gay said. "It’s one of those freak accident type of things and bad luck. The doctor said I could have had it for years and running at these type of speeds putting a lot of pressure on my groin, which couldn’t take this type of pounding.

"But I’m in the best shape of my life."

In the women’s 100, American Carmelita Jeter ran 10.92, lowering her career-best by 0.04.

"It felt really good. It could have been better," the 29-year-old Jeter said. "I’m really excited about Berlin."

Also, double Olympic champion Tirunesh Dibaba of Ethiopia returned to the track to win the women’s 5,000 in 14:33.65, fastest in the world this year, and Lashinda Demus posted a world-best time this year in the 400 hurdles — winning in 53.65, 0.13 quicker than when winning the U.S. title last month.

World champion Kerron Clement led a U.S. podium sweep in the men’s 400 hurdles. The 23-year-old Olympic silver medalist clocked 48.85 to head 2005 world champion Bershawn Jackson and Michael Tinsley.

Dwight Phillips of the United States won the long jump with a leap of 27 feet, 4 inches.

Olympic silver medalist Sally McLellan won the 100 hurdles in 12.65, while fellow Australian Steve Hooker took the pole vault at 18-8 1/4.

-- Rob Harris

Keflezighi, Huddle win USA 7 Mile Championships

DAVENPORT, Iowa — Meb Keflezighi and Molly Huddle have won the USA 7 Mile Championships.

Keflezighi, of San Diego, added to his 2009 national titles in cross country and the half-marathon, finishing Saturday in 32 minutes, 25 seconds.

The 2004 Olympic marathon silver medalist led from start to finish, beating 15-kilometer national champion Anthony Famiglietti of Knoxville, Tenn., by 31 seconds. James Carney of Boulder, Colo., was third in 33:17.

Huddle, of Providence, R.I., was the 2008 national champion at 10 kilometers. She pulled away from Serena Burla of Ellisville, Mo., on the final hill and won by 5 seconds.

Magdalena Lewy Boulet of Oakland, Calif., was third in 37:46.

Gymnastics

She’s baaaack! Liukin returns to competition

Nastia Liukin has never been so happy to feel nervous.

The Olympic champion returned to competition for the first time since the Beijing Games on Saturday night, and it was as if she’d never been away. She posted the second-best score on balance beam, her only event, and her 14.5 was only .1 points behind teammate Ivana Hong.

"As soon as we marched out today, that’s when it really hit me: I felt like the old Nastia again," she said. "Listening to the anthem, I got butterflies in my stomach. It was a cool feeling to be back where I’m at and do what I have a passion for.

"I’m just so happy to be back in this environment. This is what I love to do."

Liukin is only the third U.S. woman to win the Olympic title, and she’s been in high demand for appearances, photo shoots and commercial opportunities since she left Beijing. She loves everything she’s gotten to do — she picked up the ESPY award for female athlete of the year last week — but the schedule has wreaked havoc on her training.

But with the national championships only three weeks away in her hometown of Dallas, Liukin did the Cover Girl Classic to get back in the competition zone.

Though she and Olympic teammate Sam Peszek, also making her return, have been on much bigger stages, both were nervous at the beginning of the night. As Liukin waited for her name to be called, she shook her hands and swung her arms.

"We tried not to put that extra pressure on ourselves, but we know people do have expectations," Liukin said. "I have to live up to the title that I have, being Olympic champion, and representing not only my parents, my home club, but also the United States.

"I guess it’s a lot to have on my shoulders," she said, laughing.

While Liukin isn’t where she wants to be just yet — her dismount, for example, was watered down — her beam routine was still impressive.

She began by placing her fingertips on the beam and pressing herself into the splits, slowly unfurling her long legs without the slightest shake or hesitation. She landed one front somersault without ever putting one of her feet on the beam, brushing it back until her leg is fully extended behind her. It’s incredibly difficult — try doing it on flat ground, let alone 4 feet in the air — yet she makes it look effortless.

Her only major flaw was a wobble near the end of her routine.

She looked relieved when she finished, and her father and coach, Valeri, nodded his head as if to say, "OK."

Liukin also warmed up her uneven bars routine, and said it will be ready for championships. Aside from a short trip to a gymnastics camp, she plans to be in the gym until nationals.

"I know that’s what makes a difference," she said. "I really, really hope that I can improve a lot on beam and be 100 percent on bars."

After she finished on beam, Liukin tried her hand at broadcasting, doing some on-floor commentary for Universal Sports. As she walked to collect her change of clothes from her mother, Anna, she slapped hands with several young girls in the audience.

"You have to start somewhere," Liukin said. "With as much of the training time I had — or didn’t have — I’m happy with where I am."

-- Nancy Armour