Nastia Liukin: Gold Medal Winning Gymnast Takes On 2014 Winter Olympics In Sochi
Nastia Liukin made her mark in the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing, but now the gold medal winning gymnast is ready to take on the ice and snow of the winter games.
Liukin joined NBC Sports as a contributor for the 2012 Olympic Games in London, and now is set to move outside her comfort zone with a job as a correspondent in Sochi starting next month.
To promote her post, Nastia Liukin paid a visit to the Today show to share some of her tips for keeping in shape. Liukin shared the details of her ab routine, which she’s taking on the road with her to Russia, and also gave some of her diet tips.
“A lot of protein, a lot of vegetables, a lot of greens,” Nastia said. “I don’t really eat too many carbs, and if I do, it’s brown rice or quinoa. And I really love green juices. I don’t necessarily do green juice cleanses for a week long, but if I’m not feeling that great, I’ll just do a one or two day juice cleanse, and it will just pick me right back up.”
After winning the all-around gold medal in 2008, Liukin failed to make the US Olympic squad in her follow-up attempt in 2012.
Though her uneven bar routine during Olympic trials was not good enough, Nastia Liukin said it was a perfect way to end her career in gymnastics.
“To be able to end it with thousands and thousands of people standing on their feet cheering for me even though I had not an amazing performance is something that I will remember… You couldn’t have planned out a better way to end a career,” Liukin said.
At the time, Liukin acknowledged an influx of talent that included McKayla Maroney and Gabrielle Douglas.
“It has nothing to do with age, it has to do with the performance that you are putting out,” Liukin said. “This time, the young generation came in stronger. I don’t think if you are over 20 you can’t make it. It just shows the amazing talent that we have.”
Nastia Liukin can be seen on NBC Sports when coverage of the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi start next month.
