The casual fan knew of

Shawn Johnson

before Beijing. The girl-crazy teenage boys, according to Google , soon found out about

Alicia Sacramone

.

But the United States' golden girl at the 2008 Olympics was

Nastia Liukin

, a Russian immigrant and daughter of former gold medalist

Valeri Liukin

. Nastia won four medals, including the hat-trick in individual events (gold, silver, bronze).

 

Of course, the silver came about under bizarre circumstances, when she finished in a tie in the uneven bars with a Chinese girl. Not accepting a tie, a misguided IOC rule dissected the individual judge's scores and determined Liukin the runner-up.

 

Hmmm, breaking a tie with scores within a tie? That sounds completely wacky, whether Nastia benefited or not.

 

The 2008 women won't leave the legacy that the Magnificent Seven left at the 1996 Atlanta Games. But let's face it: Nastia was the best gymnast above suspicion in Beijing, and the United States was the best team above suspicion.

 

Only one gold was won by the U.S. women, Nastia's all-around title. But it was a good showing nonetheless.